Two and a half grand could buy a nice sun holiday, so why aren’t more Irish families renting out a room in their home to visitors, hospitality company Airbnb wants to know.

In response to an increasing demand from visitors to Ireland, the global room-share site has begun a campaign to highlight the benefits hosting can bring, and is inviting more people to join the thousands of Irish already sharing their home and earning an average of €2,600 per year.

The company’s latest figures show that in the last year inbound visits to Ireland with Airbnb increased by 187%. As Tourism Ireland projects that almost 10 million visitors will travel to Ireland in 2016, Airbnb is looking for more people to unlock the potential of unused rooms and has come up with several new initiatives to encourage sign-ups.

On Saturday May 7, the company has organised Airbnb Oscailte, a gathering of existing Irish hosts where potinetial room renters can learn more about how Airbnb works. The event is taking place at Airbnb’s new offices at the Dublin Warehouse, Hanover Quay, and over 250 people have booked to attend. There’s also a webinar making the event available across Ireland.

Other initiatives include:

In Association with

• An Airbnb Ireland Host Perks programme, featuring discounts from local  companies, including valet and laundry services such as Sproose and Whitewash, furniture and design pieces such as JamArt Factory and CA Design, food providers, and discounts with other sharing economy companies such as GoCar and HouseMyDog
• Irish Hosting Awards, to celebrate the best of the Irish hosting community, covering everything from ‘Most Inspiring Host’ to ‘Best Welcome’
• Launch of regular ‘how to host’ webinars and information evenings
• Tax advice: Airbnb has a partnership with Taxback to help hosts file their tax returns in Ireland and pay income taxes on the money they earn sharing their space

Aisling Hassell of Airbnb said: “Our guests are looking for authentic experiences and love to see destinations through a local lens. Ireland is renowned for its hospitality and some of the most inspiring and successful Airbnb hosts in the world are based here. With ongoing growth across the sharing economy, Airbnb is a simple way for Irish people to generate extra income.

“The average Irish host earns €2,600 a year. Setting up as a host only takes a few minutes and new hosts could have their first booking within days."

Dublin is the most popular destination for Airbnb guests — over 240,000 guests in the past year.