Coastal townsDorset2026
Dorset Coastal Towns
Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth were the most booked of the 8 coastal towns in Dorset on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, with an estimated 31,979, 11,954 and 11,584 stays. August is the busiest month across them, and the typical stay is 4.7 nights.
Figures are AirROI estimates. How they are made
Among the 5 towns with 200+ homes
- Most booked of these 5
- Bournemouth 31,979 stays
- Highest revenue per home of these 5
- Swanage £27,781 a year
- Highest rated of these 5
- Weymouth 4.84 out of 5
- Lowest nightly rate of these 5
- Bournemouth £181 a night
- Longest typical stay of these 5
- Bournemouth 5.0 nights
Ranking
Dorset Coastal Towns Ranked by Airbnb Stays
Every one of the coastal and beach towns in Dorset with 100 or more Airbnb homes and recent stays, most booked first.
| 1 | Bournemouth | 31,979 | £181 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Poole | 11,954 | £214 |
| 3 | Weymouth | 11,584 | £189 |
| 4 | Swanage | 8,225 | £244 |
| 5 | Lyme Regis | 8,054 | £251 |
| 6 | Christchurch | 3,976 | £237 |
| 7 | Bridport | 3,278 | £178 |
| 8 | West Lulworth | 3,235 | £297 |
Figures are AirROI estimates for the 12 months to October 2026, and stays count Airbnb bookings only. Typical stay is a booking's length, occupancy the share of available nights booked, and revenue the yearly average per home, before costs. Guest rating is out of 5.
Money figures on this page are in British pounds, converted from US dollars at £0.74 per US$, the typical rate from November 2025 to October 2026.
Town by town
Where the Top Towns Stand Out
All 8 are busiest in August, and among guests who left a review, London is the top home city in each. Houses are the largest home type in 7 of the 8. The lines below add what the table can't show, where one of the towns leads its peers or differs from the rest.
- Bournemouth
Of the 5 coastal towns in Dorset with 200 or more homes, Bournemouth had the most Airbnb homes, at 1,339, and had the longest typical stay, at 5.0 nights, in the 12 months to October 2026. Apartments and condos were the largest home type in Bournemouth, at 58% of homes.
- Weymouth
Of the 5 coastal towns in Dorset with 200 or more homes, Weymouth had the highest guest rating, at 4.84, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- 4Swanage
Of the 5 coastal towns in Dorset with 200 or more homes, Swanage had the highest occupancy, at 42%, and was booked furthest ahead, about 83 days before arrival, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- 5Lyme Regis
Of the 5 coastal towns in Dorset with 200 or more homes, Lyme Regis had the highest nightly rate, at £251, and had the biggest share of houses, at 66%, in the 12 months to October 2026.
When to go
Busiest and Quietest Months
August, July and September rank as the busiest months for Airbnb nights across the coastal towns in Dorset, and February and January as the quietest. August is the busiest month in every one of them. Across the 8 towns, nightly rates run lowest in January and November, at about £190, and highest in August, at about £237. Across the 8 towns, stays run longest in January, at 5.8 nights, and shortest in September and October, at 3.9 nights.
August ranks first, January last
Airbnb months in calendar order. 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
Month by month: rank, typical stay and nightly rate
| Rank | Month | Typical stay | Nightly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August | 4.4 nights | £237 |
| 2 | July | 4.8 nights | £230 |
| 3 | September | 3.9 nights | £211 |
| 4 | June | 4.1 nights | £220 |
| 5 | May | 4.0 nights | £211 |
| 6 | October | 3.9 nights | £200 |
| 7 | April | 4.2 nights | £203 |
| 8 | December | 4.1 nights | £197 |
| 9 | March | 4.2 nights | £193 |
| 10 | November | 4.1 nights | £190 |
| 11 | February | 5.2 nights | £191 |
| 12 | January | 5.8 nights | £190 |
Who comes
Where Guests Come From
Among guests who left a review, 87% come from within the United Kingdom. Among those guests, the largest groups from abroad come from the United States, Germany and France. The top home cities among those guests are London and Bristol. Bournemouth and Weymouth draw the most from abroad, at 14%, among towns with 200 or more homes.
Top countries abroad
Among guests who left a review
Top home cities
Among guests who left a review
87% from within the United Kingdom
The money view
Revenue, Occupancy and Nightly Rate
Among the 5 towns with 200 or more Airbnb homes, Swanage has the highest estimated revenue per home, at £27,781 a year. Of those 5, Swanage has the highest occupancy, at 42%, and Bournemouth has the lowest nightly rate on Airbnb, at £181. The most booked of the 8, Bournemouth, earns about £19,463 per home.
Highest revenue per home of these 5
A year, AirROI estimate
- Swanage £27,781
- Lyme Regis £25,900
- Poole £21,832
- Weymouth £20,945
- Bournemouth £19,463
Highest occupancy of these 5
Nights booked, AirROI estimate
- Swanage 42%
- Bournemouth 41%
- Lyme Regis 40%
- Weymouth 40%
- Poole 39%
Lowest nightly rate of these 5
On Airbnb, AirROI estimate
- Bournemouth £181
- Weymouth £189
- Poole £214
- Swanage £244
- Lyme Regis £251
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular coastal town in Dorset?
By AirROI's estimates, Bournemouth is the most booked of the 8 coastal towns in Dorset, with 31,979 Airbnb stays in the 12 months to October 2026. Poole is second, with 11,954. This counts Airbnb bookings only.
What is the most affordable coastal town in Dorset?
By AirROI's estimated nightly rate on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, among coastal towns in Dorset with 200 or more homes, the lowest are Bournemouth (£181), Weymouth (£189) and Poole (£214). That is the average asking price on booked nights, not what it costs to live or buy there.
What are some small coastal towns in Dorset?
By AirROI's count of active Airbnb homes as of October 2026, the smallest of the 8 coastal towns it lists in Dorset are West Lulworth (108), Bridport (113) and Christchurch (163). AirROI's list starts at 100 homes, so smaller places are not on it.
What coastal towns in Dorset offer the strongest Airbnb returns?
Returns depend on what a home costs to buy and run, which AirROI's figures do not cover. On AirROI's estimated revenue per home in the 12 months to October 2026, among coastal towns in Dorset with 200 or more homes, the highest are Swanage (£27,781), Lyme Regis (£25,900) and Poole (£21,832). Among the same towns, Swanage has the highest occupancy, at 42%.
Method
How These Lists and Numbers Are Made
How a town gets on this list. A town needs 100 or more Airbnb homes with recent stays. A language model then judges the place from its name, state, country and coordinates, not from words in its name: it has to be on an ocean or sea coast with its own beach, seafront or harbour, or on a Great Lake with a public beach, and within about 10 km of the shore. The town's own listings can back that up, with 30% of its homes listing beach access, or 10% with ocean views, waterfront homes or beach in their titles besides. A town whose listings do not gets a second, stricter check, which asks whether people go there for that or mainly for something else. Big cities stay off. Corrections come last: places the checks got wrong are added or taken off, and rows that name one place are joined.
How the figures are made. Stays, occupancy, nightly rate and revenue are AirROI estimates built from Airbnb listing data, and cover Airbnb only. A town's stays are its bookings in the period, and the typical stay and busiest month come from the same data. Guest ratings, home sizes and how far ahead guests book are the latest figures in each town's AirROI data. Month ranks compare each month's part of Airbnb nights. Origin rests on 254,790 reviews and describes guests who left a review, not everyone who stayed. A town needs 1,000 reviews before this page gives its share from abroad.