By the Caribbean Journal staff

More and more travelers to Bermuda are looking to homesharing options like Airbnb, according to new data released by the Bermuda Tourism Authority.

The number of visitors to Bermuda who chose vacation rentals last year surged 133 percent compared to 2016, according to the data, which was provided by Airbnb.

“Bermuda represents an incredibly important and growing market for Airbnb. Through our partnership agreement with Bermuda’s government and tourism authority we have significantly grown our supply and increased the number of visitors for Bermudian homeowners. In 2018 we plan to further develop our partnership in Bermuda and engage the community with more home sharing educational seminars across the island.”

While the number increased dramatically, vacation rental stays accounted or about 10 percent of total visitors last year, according to the BTA.

Indeed, hotel occupancy actually increased, with year-end hotel occupancy in Bermuda passing the 60 percent mark for the first time since 2007.

Hotel occupancy rose by 9 percent to 63 for the year.

“While the Bermuda hotel sector as a whole requires further growth to reach sustainable profitability levels, the performance in 2017 was the best in a decade,” the BTA said.