The Airbnb hosts earning millions through the rental platform

Airbnb hosts in Europe’s most popular cities are earning hundreds of thousands of pounds a year, and in some cases millions, according to new research.

The highest earner in Barcelona had revenue of nearly €2.3million (£2.07m), renting out 63 entire properties on the accommodation platform. In Paris, one host earned €1.35million (£1.22m) in a year, from 50 properties.

The astronomical figures - the Barcelona host earnings are 100 times Spain’s average salary - raise queries about Airbnb’s claim to be a part of the “sharing economy”.

Analysis by Telegraph Travel of figures from Inside Airbnb, a site dedicated to collating data about the US company, also showed how single hosts are renting out vast numbers of properties, rather than second homes or spare rooms. In the French capital, 299 listings belonged to the 10 top hosts, while in Barcelona 434 properties were rented out by 10 people.

Earnings were high in other key city break destinations in Europe, with hosts in Berlin, Brussels, Amsterdam and Munich all earning more than €250,000 (£225,000) from their listings.