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Vancouver Airbnb hosts earned more than $1.2M last weekend

The Airbnb website allows users to look for properties around the world.
The Airbnb website allows users to look for properties around the world. Chesnot / Getty Images

A record has been set for Airbnb guests and hosts in Vancouver this past weekend.

With 9,339 guest arrivals to the city, local Airbnb hosts earned more than $1.2 million combined, which is the most since the service launched in the city.

The record was set due to the BMO Vancouver Marathon.

Thousands of people came to the city to compete in the marathon and Airbnb use was up 36 per cent over the same period last year.

During marathon weekend, Airbnb hosts welcomed guests from 75 countries and more than 1,200 cities worldwide including Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico and Brazil.

Local hosts earned an average of $127 a night. Five per cent of hosts were sharing their home for the first time on Airbnb.

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WATCH: Thousands take part in this year’s BMO Vancouver Marathon:

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Thousands take part in this year’s BMO Marathon

“Airbnb is providing important supplemental income for families in Vancouver to help them make ends meet,” said Alex Dagg, director of public policy for Airbnb in Canada.

There has been a crackdown on Airbnb and other short-term rentals in the city of Vancouver recently.

In April, the city passed a bylaw forbidding non-principals to be listed on Airbnb. Vancouver residents are still allowed to list their principal residence on the site as long as the stay is for fewer than 30 days and they have a business licence.

The deal between the city and the home-sharing website is a first of its kind in Canada.

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READ MORE: City of Vancouver moves to ban Airbnb in secondary homes

Residents will also face a $1,000 daily fine if they fail to display their business licence.

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