Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Why are so many people booking Airbnb rooms in Ukraine?

People from around the world have booked more than 60,000 nights at Airbnb accommodations in Ukraine since Russia invaded the country at the end of last month.

At first glance, the statistic sounds crazy, as who on earth would want to put their lives in danger by vacationing in a place suffering heavy bombing along with all of the other ugly realities of war.

But folks booking Airbnb rooms in Ukraine of course have no intention of going there. Instead, it’s a way of offering financial support to some of the nation’s beleaguered citizens who are currently seeing their homeland torn apart by a needless conflict.

Commenting on the unexpected trend of people booking rooms in Kyiv and other cities across Ukraine, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky told the BBC on Monday it was “just an example of the incredible kindness that’s being demonstrated around the world.”

However, the Airbnb boss said it was vital for anyone booking rooms in Ukraine to be absolutely certain that the host is genuine, an important point also made by U.K.-based travel expert Simon Calder, who suggested scammers could easily set up a listing to nab cash from well-meaning people trying to assist struggling Ukrainians.

Lots of talk about booking random Airbnbs in Ukraine and paying for them with no intention of staying, to transfer cash to the country.
Warning: were I a Russian scammer, I would be setting up fake Airbnbs in Kiev and Odessa as fast as I could to cash in on those noble intentions

— Simon Calder (@SimonCalder) March 4, 2022

Chesky added that a guaranteed way to assist Ukrainians is to make a cash donation via its airbnb.org, with funds going toward providing emergency housing for those in need. Hosts are also being encouraged to open their homes to refugees, with Airbnb’s site offering an easy way to add their accommodation to the list.

Following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, Airbnb, like many other major companies around the world, recently suspended operations in Russia and also Belarus, which has let Russia use its land for troop deployments ahead of entering Ukraine.

“We know a lot of incredible community members in these countries and so these decisions are always not made lightly and they’re incredibly difficult,” Chesky said.

For more options on how to donate to Ukraine, Charity Navigator has all the information you need.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Hollywood writers strike ends after agreement on AI and other issues
The Hollywood sign.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has called off its strike after five months during which a slew of popular shows were taken off air.

The WGA said it had reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on a new three-year Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA), and voted unanimously to recommend it to its 11,500 members.

Read more
Intel Meteor Lake is coming to desktop, but there’s a big catch
Intel announcing the Meteor Lake release date on Intel Innovation.

It's been a real roller coaster ride with Intel Meteor Lake. First, it was coming to desktops, then it wasn't, then it was, and now ... it isn't, but it is. If you're as confused as we are, don't worry -- Intel has set things straight and we now know that Meteor Lake chips will be available in desktops, but they won't become some of the best processors for desktop PCs, all because they're not socketed.

Intel spoke about the future of its 14th-Gen Meteor Lake chips in a statement made to ComputerBase, revealing that, yes, Intel Meteor Lake will come to desktop PCs, but only all-in-one (AIO) computers like the Intel NUC or small form-factor PCs. It won't be available in socketed form, which means that you won't be able to install it in a future LGA1851 motherboard. In short, Meteor Lake chips are laptop CPUs, through and through.

Read more
Watch how the iPhone 15 handles the bend test that busted the Pro Max
YouTuber Zack Nelson bending an iPhone 15 to test its strength.

Earlier this week, we reported how popular tech YouTuber Zack Nelson busted the back of an iPhone 15 Pro Max when he subjected it to his bend test.

The back glass shattered with relatively little effort, which came as a great surprise not only to Nelson but to everyone watching, too.

Read more