Tourism statisticsContinent2026

Africa Tourism Statistics: 2,516,716 Airbnb Stays

Q: What is the quietest month in Africa?

June was the quietest Airbnb month in Africa in the 12 months to October 2026, ranking 12th of 12, and May ranked 11th. Stays in June were booked about 28 days ahead, against 55 days for December.

Q: How long is a typical Airbnb stay in Africa?

A typical Airbnb stay in Africa lasted 5.6 nights in the 12 months to October 2026, booked about 42 days ahead. By month, stays ran from 4.4 nights in September to 6.9 nights in July.

AirROI estimates 2,516,716 Airbnb stays in Africa in the 12 months to October 2026, with Cape Town the most booked city. The busiest month was December.

Source: AirROI Reviewed by Jun Zhou, Founder @ AirROI Updated November 4, 2026

Airbnb figures are AirROI estimates for the 12 months to October 2026. Read the method

Estimated Airbnb stays: 2,516,716
Estimated Airbnb nights: 14,000,736
Typical Airbnb stay: 5.6 nights
Busiest Airbnb month: December
Outside their home country, among guests who left a review: 72%

Key facts

Africa Tourism Facts

Each sentence names its place, period and source, so it can be quoted alone.

Airbnb stays

AirROI puts Airbnb stays in Africa at 2,516,716 in the 12 months to October 2026.
AirROI estimates Airbnb stays in Africa added up to 14,000,736 nights in the 12 months to October 2026.
AirROI estimates a typical Airbnb stay in Africa lasted 5.6 nights in the 12 months to October 2026, booked about 42 days ahead.

Busiest months

AirROI ranks December the busiest Airbnb month in Africa in the 12 months to October 2026, followed by August and July, with June the quietest.
AirROI estimates Airbnb in Africa had no single high season in the 12 months to October 2026: the three busiest months were December, August and July.
AirROI estimates Airbnb stays in Africa in December were booked furthest ahead, about 55 days, against 28 days for June, in the 12 months to October 2026.

Guests

AirROI estimates 72% of Airbnb guests who left a review in Africa as of October 2026 stayed outside their home country, led by South Africa at 23% and France at 17%.
Among Airbnb guests who left a review in Africa as of October 2026, Cape Town was the top origin city at 5.4%, ahead of Paris at 3.3%, AirROI estimates.

By place

AirROI estimates Cape Town had the most Airbnb stays of any city it tracks in Africa in the 12 months to October 2026, at 276,200, ahead of Marrakesh and George.
AirROI estimates South Africa had the most Airbnb stays of the 28 countries it tracks in Africa in the 12 months to October 2026, at 1,022,621, ahead of Morocco and Egypt.

Airbnb stays

Airbnb Stays in Africa

Africa had 170,505 Airbnb homes in the 12 months to October 2026. They took an estimated 2,516,716 stays and 14,000,736 nights. A typical stay lasted 5.6 nights and was booked about 42 days ahead. AirROI's figures cover the 794 towns it tracks in Africa; places it does not track are not counted, so every total is a floor.

Airbnb homes: 170,505
Airbnb stays, estimate: 2,516,716
Airbnb nights, estimate: 14,000,736
Typical stay: 5.6 nights
Booked ahead: 42 days

Busiest months

When Is the Busiest Time in Africa?

On Airbnb, December was the busiest month in Africa in the 12 months to October 2026, then August and July. June was the quietest. The busiest months do not sit together, so there is no single high season.

December ranks first, June last

Airbnb months in calendar order, 12 months to October 2026. The number is the month's rank, and 1 is the busiest. The bar shows its part of Airbnb nights.

Three busiest months
Other months

From busiest to quietest: December, August, July, October, November, January, March, September, April, February, May, June.

Month by month: rank, typical stay and days booked ahead

Airbnb months in Africa by rank, with share of nights, typical stay and days booked ahead, 12 months to October 2026
Rank	Month	Share of nights	Typical stay	Booked ahead
1	December	9.6%	6.3 nights	55 days
2	August	9.2%	5.4 nights	42 days
3	July	8.5%	6.9 nights	40 days
4	October	8.5%	5.2 nights	46 days
5	November	8.4%	5.7 nights	49 days
6	January	8.3%	6.1 nights	45 days
7	March	8.3%	5.3 nights	37 days
8	September	8.3%	4.4 nights	34 days
9	April	8.0%	5.0 nights	38 days
10	February	7.9%	5.9 nights	43 days
11	May	7.6%	5.1 nights	32 days
12	June	7.5%	5.6 nights	28 days

Share is each month's part of the year's Airbnb nights. Typical stay and days booked ahead are AirROI estimates for stays in each month.

Where guests come from

Where Do Airbnb Guests in Africa Come From?

Among Airbnb guests who left a review in Africa as of October 2026, 72% stayed outside their home country, and the top origins were South Africa at 23% and France at 17%, AirROI estimates. Among the same guests, Cape Town was the top origin city at 5.4%, ahead of Paris at 3.3%. The figures rest on 5,880,105 reviews, written over many years.

72% outside their home country

Among guests who left a review, as of October 2026

Top origin countries

Among guests who left a review

South Africa 23%
France 17%
United Kingdom 9.1%
United States 8.5%
Germany 7.5%
Morocco 2.7%

Top origin cities

Among guests who left a review

Cape Town 5.4%
Paris 3.3%
Johannesburg 3.2%
London 2.5%
Pretoria 1.7%
Casablanca 1%

Top cities

Most Booked Cities in Africa

Cape Town, Marrakesh and George took 24% of Airbnb stays in Africa in the 12 months to October 2026. Among guests who left a review, the share from abroad across these cities runs from 18% in Durban to 98% in Tunis.

Most Booked Cities in Africa: Airbnb stays, nights and typical stay, 12 months to October 2026; with origin among guests who left a review
#
1	Cape Town	276,200	2,005,704	7.3 nights	66%	South Africa	December
2	Marrakesh	254,036	1,240,388	4.9 nights	94%	France	August
3	George	77,355	366,374	4.7 nights	53%	South Africa	December
4	Tangier	62,462	349,209	5.6 nights	91%	France	August
5	Casablanca	58,331	339,827	5.8 nights	83%	France	August
6	Nairobi	48,434	339,498	7.0 nights	82%	US	December
7	Agadir	44,242	278,700	6.3 nights	92%	France	August
8	Stellenbosch	40,507	186,105	4.6 nights	65%	South Africa	January
9	Essaouira	40,204	207,120	5.2 nights	94%	France	August
10	Overstrand Local Municipality	38,667	174,691	4.5 nights	51%	South Africa	December
11	Cairo	36,285	251,112	6.9 nights	93%	US	August
12	Accra	35,878	248,967	6.9 nights	86%	US	December
13	Rabat	34,727	194,979	5.6 nights	88%	France	August
14	Johannesburg	30,657	177,815	5.8 nights	44%	South Africa	December
15	Sandton	28,935	163,519	5.7 nights	44%	South Africa	December
16	Tunis	27,248	164,314	6.0 nights	98%	France	August
17	Pretoria	24,632	93,694	3.8 nights	24%	South Africa	December
18	Fez	23,276	96,144	4.1 nights	94%	France	October
19	KwaDukuza Local Municipality	22,458	107,275	4.8 nights	21%	South Africa	December
20	Saldanha Bay Local Municipality	21,409	85,384	4.0 nights	36%	South Africa	December
21	Gqeberha	21,199	97,362	4.6 nights	27%	South Africa	December
22	Hurghada	20,784	136,644	6.6 nights	85%	France	August
23	Durban	18,908	85,661	4.5 nights	18%	South Africa	December
24	Gamsha	18,148	98,304	5.4 nights	67%	Egypt	August
25	Taghazout	17,061	89,713	5.3 nights	94%	France	August

* Among guests who left a review. Stays, nights and other figures are AirROI estimates for the 12 months to October 2026, and cover Airbnb only. Ranked by Airbnb stays. The top 25 cities.

By country

Airbnb Stays by Country in Africa

South Africa, Morocco and Egypt took 76% of Airbnb stays in Africa in the 12 months to October 2026. August is the busiest Airbnb month in 12 of the 28 countries, led by Morocco, and December in 9, led by South Africa. Among guests who left a review, the share from abroad across the 25 most booked countries runs from 46% in South Africa to over 99% in the Seychelles.

Airbnb Stays by Country in Africa: Airbnb stays, nights and typical stay, 12 months to October 2026; with origin among guests who left a review
#
1	South Africa	1,022,621	5,306,117	5.2 nights	46%	South Africa	December
2	Morocco	694,918	3,673,766	5.3 nights	91%	France	August
3	Egypt	195,488	1,205,253	6.2 nights	90%	US	August
4	Kenya	102,247	618,695	6.0 nights	76%	Kenya	December
5	Tunisia	76,576	455,904	6.0 nights	97%	France	August
6	Mauritius	65,245	465,672	7.1 nights	99%	France	November
7	Ghana	43,694	298,443	6.8 nights	85%	US	December
8	Cape Verde	34,585	226,033	6.5 nights	over 99%	France	January
9	Algeria	33,527	200,065	6.0 nights	98%	France	August
10	Réunion	32,796	202,718	6.2 nights	87%	France	November
11	Senegal	29,971	204,423	6.8 nights	95%	France	August
12	Tanzania	28,732	174,033	6.1 nights	90%	US	August
13	Nigeria	23,126	154,462	6.7 nights	89%	US	December
14	Zimbabwe	22,571	120,624	5.3 nights	80%	UK	August
15	Namibia	20,825	98,734	4.7 nights	74%	Namibia	December
16	Seychelles	15,631	74,229	4.8 nights	over 99%	France	October
17	Côte d’Ivoire	12,273	94,626	7.7 nights	over 99%	France	August
18	Uganda	9,321	67,481	7.2 nights	84%	US	December
19	Rwanda	7,262	51,030	7.0 nights	96%	US	December
20	Mozambique	6,649	36,622	5.5 nights	87%	South Africa	December
21	Zambia	5,548	34,107	6.2 nights	88%	US	August
22	Benin	4,425	33,357	7.5 nights	99%	France	August
23	Cameroon	3,975	27,835	7.0 nights	97%	France	August
24	Madagascar	3,545	23,181	6.5 nights	98%	France	July
25	Ethiopia	3,540	31,231	8.8 nights	99%	US	January
26	Togo	3,250	25,472	7.8 nights	98%	France	August
27	Botswana	2,850	14,640	5.1 nights	86%	South Africa	December
28	Gambia	1,886	16,847	8.9 nights	over 99%	UK	January

* Among guests who left a review, as in the table above. Stays, nights and other Airbnb figures cover the same 12 months.

FAQ

Questions About Tourism in Africa

When is high season in Africa?

The busiest Airbnb month in Africa in the 12 months to October 2026 was December, then August and July.

What is the quietest month in Africa?

June was the quietest Airbnb month in Africa in the 12 months to October 2026, ranking 12th of 12, and May ranked 11th. Stays in June were booked about 28 days ahead, against 55 days for December.

How long is a typical Airbnb stay in Africa?

A typical Airbnb stay in Africa lasted 5.6 nights in the 12 months to October 2026, booked about 42 days ahead. By month, stays ran from 4.4 nights in September to 6.9 nights in July.

Where do Airbnb guests in Africa come from?

Of Airbnb guests who left a review in Africa as of October 2026, 72% stayed outside their home country, AirROI estimates. The largest groups were South Africa at 23% and France at 17%. Among the same guests, the top origin city was Cape Town at 5.4%, ahead of Paris at 3.3%.

What are the most booked cities in Africa on Airbnb?

AirROI estimates the most booked were Cape Town (276,200 stays), Marrakesh (254,036 stays) and George (77,355 stays) in the 12 months to October 2026. This ranks Airbnb stays only.

Method

How These Numbers Are Made

Stays and nights are AirROI estimates for the 12 months to October 2026, built from Airbnb listing data, and cover Airbnb only. Nights add up each town's stays times its typical stay, across 794 towns. Month ranks compare each month's part of Airbnb nights. Origin rests on 5,880,105 reviews and describes guests who left a review, not everyone who stayed. Read the method page.