Brighton's short-let market: tourism figures and demand explained

Brighton is one of the busiest visitor destinations in the South East. In 2024 the city had 1.67 million staying trips and 5.6 million nights, according to the council's tourism body. For a short-let owner, that is steady demand, but the details matter more than the headline.

Here is what the latest figures say, and how to use them.

How many people visit Brighton?

VisitBrighton's latest economic impact report counts 12.2 million trips to Brighton and Hove in 2024. Most were day trips: 10.5 million people came and went in a day. The other 1.67 million stayed at least one night.

Day trippers matter to cafes and shops. Short-let owners care about the staying visitors, because every one of them needs a bed.

Those staying visitors spent £602 million during their trips, and a third of that went on accommodation. Across all visitors, tourism was worth £1.39 billion to the local economy once knock-on spending is counted, and supported around 25,700 jobs.

Where do Brighton's visitors come from?

Most staying visitors are from the UK: 1.27 million of the 1.67 million trips in 2024. Overseas visitors made 401,000 trips, but they stayed longer. UK visitors averaged under three nights per trip. Overseas visitors averaged more than five.

The overseas market is also growing faster. Overseas staying trips rose by 18% between 2023 and 2024, while UK trips were flat.

For your listing, that means two different guests. UK visitors want a short, easy weekend break with simple check-in. Overseas visitors are more likely to book a full week and care about a proper kitchen, washing machine and clear local tips.

Why do people visit Brighton?

Holidays dominate. In 2024, 65% of staying trips were holidays. Visiting friends and relatives made up 18%, business 12%, and study and other reasons the rest.

Business and family visits are useful because they are less tied to the weather and school holidays. A home near the station or the city centre can pick up these weekday stays through the quieter months.

How many visitors use self-catering?

Hotels and guesthouses still take most stays. Self-catering homes, the category that includes short lets, accounted for 139,000 trips and 839,000 nights in 2024. That is 8% of trips but 15% of nights.

The gap tells you something important. People who choose a self-catering home in Brighton stay longer, around six nights on average, compared with just over two nights in hotels and guesthouses. Longer stays mean fewer changeovers, lower cleaning costs and less wear on your home.

How has the market changed in a year?

Between 2023 and 2024, staying trips to Brighton rose by 3%, from 1.62 million to 1.67 million. The number of nights stayed was flat at around 5.6 million, so the average trip got slightly shorter. Spending by staying visitors rose faster, by 13%, helped by the jump in overseas visitors.

Shorter trips mean more changeovers. Weekly discounts help you win the longer bookings that cost less to clean and manage.

When is demand strongest?

Summer is peak season, led by holidays, sunny weekends and the Pride weekend in early August. May brings the festival season, and April brings the marathon. We cover the key dates in our Brighton events calendar for short-let owners.

Winter is quieter but not empty. Business trips, family visits and weekend breaks carry on, and the council's visitor economy strategy aims for a sector that thrives year-round. Price for the season rather than holding summer rates through January.

Is the Brighton short-let market getting crowded?

Supply is the question every owner should ask. Nobody has an exact count of short lets in the city, and the council's own estimate has been 4,000 to 5,000. The council is pushing for a registration scheme partly to get better numbers.

More listings means guests have more choice. The homes that keep strong occupancy are the ones with great photos, fast replies, spotless cleaning and prices that move with demand. An average listing competes on price. A well-run one competes on reviews.

What do short lets in Brighton earn?

Market data from BNBCalc, based on 12-month averages to September 2026, shows the average Brighton listing earning about £29,500 a year in bookings, up 5% on the year before. Listings were booked on about 45% of available nights, at an average of £174 a night, up 17%. Guests booked an average of 37 days ahead.

The same data shows who runs these homes and how guests book them:

• 76% of Brighton listings are professionally managed, and 24% are run by independent hosts.
• 81% of listings are on Airbnb, 14% on Vrbo and 5% on Booking.com.
• Most guests stay about four nights, rising to 5.4 nights in homes with four or more bedrooms.
• Most listings are open part of the year: 62% are available for 181 to 270 nights, and only 10% for more than 270 nights.

What do guests pay more for?

BNBCalc's data also compares what listings with and without certain features earn in Brighton. Listings with a washing machine earned about 46% more than those without, listings with a barbecue about 50% more, and listings with an EV charger about 41% more. Treat these as clues, not guarantees: bigger homes are more likely to have these features, and bigger homes earn more anyway. The useful lesson is simpler. Guests pay for the things that make a stay easy, like laundry, parking and somewhere to charge a car.

What do the numbers mean for you?

• Demand is large and steady, led by UK holidaymakers.
• Overseas visitors are growing and stay longer, so make your home work for a full week.
• Self-catering guests stay around six nights, which keeps your costs per night down.
• Summer and event weekends earn the most. Winter needs sharper pricing, not closed dates.

Location changes the picture street by street, so read our guide to the best areas for Airbnb in Brighton and Hove next.

What could your home earn?

Figures for the whole city only take you so far. Our Brighton short-let management team uses live market data to price your home night by night. Get a free valuation for your address and see what these numbers mean for you.

Get my free valuation

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. It is our own interpretation of the rules and figures as they stand on the date shown above, and they can change. Speak to a qualified solicitor or accountant before you act on anything here.