Edinburgh has seen a sharp rise in tourists ahead of this weekend's opening Six Nations game, with 72 percent of Airbnbs and similar short-term stays within the capital being occupied already.
Data collected by AirDNA, who track properties on Airbnb and Vrbo/Home Away, has shown an increase in short-term stays within the city, compared to normal figures.
As of today, February 3, there are 2,658 properties booked for Saturday, February 5, when Scotland will host England at BT Murrayfield for their Six Nations opener.
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This resembles a whopping 72 percent occupancy on the available 3,667 properties for rental, just a little decrease from listing in December, the capital's busiest period.
For the second home game Scotland will host, there is already a 61 percent occupancy on Edinburgh properties, even though the game is not due to be played until February 26. This equates to 2,281 available properties booked up.
This means the capital will see a huge rise in tourists over the duration of the Six Nations, with various bars and pubs opening new fan zones and outdoor beer garden areas to cope with the increase in customers.
Due to the increase in demand, prices for Airbnb's and other holiday lets will see an increase on the average price. for this weekend, the median rate guests are paying is £128 and for Saturday 26, it's £132.
This, compared to a mid-week median of £87, a sizeable decrease. Average rates in general are also up since the beginning of the pandemic thanks to guests booking larger properties for a private space for family, increase cleaning protocols and general inflation.
But, for Saturday, February 5, compared to the same date last year, when there was a lockdown in place, prices are up 42 percent.
For Saturday, February 12, when there is no home game for Scotland in Edinburgh, only 55 percent of properties are currently occupied.
AirDNA also noted that although holiday rentals have become more popular in many destinations since the onset of the pandemic, as people look for a self-enclosed space to be with their family and take a break, they are yet to see any return to demand in the cities. In Edinburgh in December, demand was down 39% from the same month in 2019, and available listings down 51%.
