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Airbnb Average Occupancy Rate in the UK Market in 2025

One of the most important metrics you should consider when choosing a market and checking out prospective investment properties is the Airbnb average occupancy rate by city. Learn about the occupancy rate in different UK cities and regions.

Airbnb Average Occupancy Rate in the UK Market in 2025
Airbnb Average Occupancy Rate in the UK Market in 2025

Investing in vacation rentals can be very profitable, but you should realize that not all markets and properties are equal, and rental income varies per location and property type. Buying a new rental and merely listing it on Airbnb and its alternatives in the UK won’t generate profits for you. You need to invest in a property in a city with a high demand for vacation rentals and base your decision on market research data. 

One of the most important metrics you should consider when choosing a market and checking out prospective investment properties is the Airbnb average occupancy rate by city. The reason is that, together with the average daily rate, the occupancy rate determines your rental income and ROI.

If you have a STR property that attracts a lot of bookings and has a high occupancy rate, you’ll see significant revenue generation and will be able to build a successful business. And if you use vacation rental software like Hospitable to streamline your business operations, you’ll save a lot of time by automating repetitive tasks and will be able to scale even faster.

Airbnb Average Occupancy Rate by City in the UK

Airbnb occupancy rate is the ratio of booked nights to the total number of nights the listing is available for bookings. This metric is very important both for buying profitable Airbnb rental properties and for evaluating the performance of your active Airbnb listings.

The average Airbnb occupancy rate varies by market. In popular tourist destinations or cities with high demand, occupancy rates may exceed 80% or even reach close to full occupancy. Still, 65% is considered a good average occupancy rate for short-term rental properties.

So, how do you find the ideal Airbnb city or market in the UK that is worth investing in? Let’s take a look at the UK STR market data provided by Airbtics that offers Airbnb analytics to help STR investors make smarter decisions.

Here is a table where you can find the occupancy rate in different UK cities and regions that are popular among tourists, as well as information about daily rates, annual revenue, and the number of Airbnb listings in each area.

Cities

Occupancy Rate

Daily Rate (GBP)

Annual Revenue (GBP)

No of Listings

Aberdeen City

63%

88

20 638

653

Bath

70%

152

39 401

1375

Belfast

70%

103

26 832

1671

Birmingham

59%

93

20 558

3146

Blackpool

43%

93

15 126

1110

Bristol

71%

103

27 333

2159

Cambridgeshire

69%

100

25 782

2262

Cardiff

58%

106

22 913

1956

Cheshire

64%

106

25 282

2160

Cornwall

61%

119

26 958

13279

Cotswold District, Gloucestershire

61%

186

41 833

1973

Devon

58%

122

26 775

9138

Dorset

62%

126

28 829

4075

Edinburgg

84%

141

43 562

4998

Essex

67%

186

46 447

1688

Glasgow

73%

109

29 491

1722

Kent

57%

116

24 758

6149

Lakes

65%

214

51 500

596

Lancashire

57%

104

22 209

2813

Leeds

59%

96

21 264

1763

Liverpool

55%

96

19 783

3172

London

73%

137

37 024

59158

Manchester City

61%

100

22 750

2725

Newcastle upon Tyne

59%

100

22 212

869

Newquay

60%

122

27 058

1048

Norfolk

65%

149

35 919

2256

Northumberland

68%

132

33 188

2933

Norwich

66%

100

24 722

659

Nottingham

58%

89

19 422

1208

Oxfordshire

68%

122

30 932

4035

Portsmouth

62%

92

21 470

773

Sheffield

55%

90

18 470

1293

Southampton

66%

93

23 042

821

The City of Brighton and Hove

63%

118

27 615

3509

West Sussex

59%

122

26 910

3782

York

67%

137

34 166

1869

As you see, such cities and regions as Edinburgh, London, Glasgow, Bristol, Belfast, Bath, Brighton, Cambridgeshire, and Oxfordshire have some of the highest Airbnb occupancy rates. The lowest occupancy rate of 43% is in Blackpool, a seaside town in Lancashire.

What Factors Influence Occupancy Rates of Short-Term Rentals?

As it was mentioned above, owners of Airbnb properties should try to achieve an average occupancy rate of at least 65%. But in general, a good Airbnb occupancy rate allows you to charge an average daily rate that generates the highest possible rental income for your STR property.

The Airbnb occupancy rate is mainly affected by location, but it’s not the only factor that influences occupancy rates. If you want to get more bookings, you shouldn’t rely only on Airbnb. List your property on other major booking sites, such as Booking.com and Vrbo, to reach as many potential guests as possible.

Consider creating your own direct booking website to build relationships with your guests and drive repeat direct bookings. You don’t need any technical skills to do that if you take advantage of Hospitable Direct. You can easily build a fully functional direct booking website within minutes using our professional, easy-to-customize website templates. Moreover, your website will appear on Google Vacation Rentals.

The kind of guest experience that you offer will greatly influence your occupancy rates as well. Modern travelers value amenities that make their stay more comfortable, enjoyable, and memorable. So you need to provide not only basic amenities like everyone else but also offer extra amenities to give more value to your target guests and stand out from your competitors.

It’s also essential to come up with a well-planned pricing strategy that will help you ensure that your rates are competitive and your property can generate Airbnb income throughout the year. Successful hosts rely on dynamic pricing tools that take the guesswork out of setting nightly rates for short-term rentals and use algorithms to calculate and adjust prices in real-time based on market conditions.

You should also remember that regardless of the market and the type of your target guests, your STR property will enjoy a higher occupancy if it is located close to major roads and public transportation. Travelers who come with their car and people who rely on available transportation modes are sure to appreciate this. If they see that they can easily get to your listing, they will be more likely to book it.

Keep in mind that if you’re thinking about starting an Airbnb in the UK, you need to protect your rental space against damage and yourself against personal liability claims with the right insurance. Check out our blog article to find answers to common questions about Airbnb insurance in the UK.

Over 100 pages of focused knowledge to help you launch and scale your short-term rental business.

In this e-book, we cover: Decisions to make and things to check before you start. How to prepare your property for short-term rental. Setting the ground to stand out from the crowd. Admin work. Assembling a team. Not putting all eggs in one basket. Your daily operations. Mastering communication with your guests. Getting the 5-Star review after all that hard work.

Ebook cover

Over 100 pages of focused knowledge to help you launch and scale your short-term rental business.

In this e-book, we cover: Decisions to make and things to check before you start. How to prepare your property for short-term rental. Setting the ground to stand out from the crowd. Admin work. Assembling a team. Not putting all eggs in one basket. Your daily operations. Mastering communication with your guests. Getting the 5-Star review after all that hard work.

Ebook cover

Over 100 pages of focused knowledge to help you launch and scale your short-term rental business.

In this e-book, we cover: Decisions to make and things to check before you start. How to prepare your property for short-term rental. Setting the ground to stand out from the crowd. Admin work. Assembling a team. Not putting all eggs in one basket. Your daily operations. Mastering communication with your guests. Getting the 5-Star review after all that hard work.

Ebook cover
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Table of contents

Airbnb Average Occupancy Rate by City in the UK
What Factors Influence Occupancy Rates of Short-Term Rentals?
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