Airbnb Brazil arrivals more than double to one million with 2016 Olympics

Sports draw: The market got a boost in August, when more than 85,000 guests arrived in Rio alone during the three-week Olympic Games.

SAO PAULO: Online room renting service Airbnb Inc registered more than one million guest arrivals in Brazil last year, boosted by travel to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and a growing number of hosts looking for extra income in a deep recession.

Leonardo Tristão, Airbnb's general manager in the country, noted the benchmark in a statement, marking a sharp pickup from the country's roughly 421,000 arrivals in 2015 and about 622,000 arrivals in the twelve months through June.