Excursions To Rural Texas Are Booming

AUSTIN, TX — Texans are taking more trips than ever to rural parts of the state, according to a new analysis from Airbnb. Hosts in rural Texas earned $20.6 million in supplemental income from 169,000 guests through Airbnb over the past 12 months. This amount of money represents a 93 percent rate of year-over-year growth, according to Airbnb.

The year-over-year growth rate is nearly double the growth rate seen in urban Texas counties, Airbnb said. The 177 counties Airbnb analysed were designated rural by the Texas Department of Agriculture.

Two rural counties in central Texas that saw exponential growth year-over-year on Airbnb were Bosque County (224 percent growth) and Llano County, where hosts earned $1.31 million.

Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush praised Airbnb for helping Texans earn extra income.

“I am impressed with their entrepreneurial vision and look forward to finding ways for the Texas General Land Office to leverage their technologies. As the state officer who oversees 13 million acres of rural Texas land, I am grateful for Airbnb’s commitment to bringing economic opportunity to rural Texas in a new and innovative way," Bush said in a news release.

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Photo: Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian of Capital Cities attend the Capital Cities Pop Up at Airbnb Park during SXSW March 14, 2014 on March 14, 2014 in Austin, Texas. Vivien Killilea/ Getty Images