ST. GEORGE — St. George has earned one of the top slots as the location most Utahns rent an Airbnb. A nationwide study shows St. George, Park City and Salt Lake City share the honor of being the most popular locations for short-term rentals.
The financial company IPX 1031 compared over 2,000 cities, towns and locations across the country from May 2021 to May 2022. The company also found which comforts people prefer in their short-term rentals.
“Top amenities searched for by Utahans include a rental car, a luxury bathroom, and a patio,” Allison Hadley, IPX 1031 spokesperson said in an email to St. George News. “And the top amenity for a nationwide search of short rentals is a luxury bathroom.”
IPX 1031 analyzed Google search trends to see each state’s top three Airbnb destinations. Hadley said IPX 1031 analyzed the most disproportionately popular Google search terms related to Airbnb rentals in more than 2,000 cities, towns and locations across the country from May 2021 to May 2022.
“Our methodology used Google search trend analysis of phrases around Airbnb rentals by state from May 2021-May 2022, comparing to the national average to ensure that lower population states would still reflect their specific search trends,” Hadley said.
The study chose that analysis method to even the playing field between smaller states with lower populations or a lower search volume, such as Wyoming, Vermont and Alaska. The states with large populations with higher search volumes are California, Texas and Florida.
The findings also note that while many Americans are most interested in going to their state’s primary city, many want a more rural area experience. The study stated that visitors who opt for a more populated area often go for a weekend trip to take in a concert or enjoy the nightlife. According to the website, many states’ top-googled destinations are their state’s capital city.
The study states others search for locations outside major metro areas, such as searching for Airbnbs in Southern Utah. And those in Arkansas who search for hot springs or Virginians who want to go to Virginia Beach.
According to the city of St. George, it only allows short-term rentals in designated areas. Short-term rentals of less than 28 days are not permitted in single-family zones.
The website states the Code Enforcement Team has two officers to help provide a safe environment for the community.
“The City Council has adopted ordinances to protect and preserve our neighborhoods. The role of each code enforcement officer is to enforce city ordinances thereby, bringing properties in violation into compliance,” the website states.
Each officer is given a district to develop relationships with residents and local businesses with the intention to understand their assigned neighborhood’s histories, challenges, concerns and compliance issues that are specific to these neighborhoods.
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