Airbnb: Cabin fever pushes zoomers and boomers to Greenville.

According to the U.S. Travel Association, at least 50% of all travel-supported jobs will disappear by December if federal aid doesn't come into the equation.

By no means has Greenville remained immune to the staggering losses fielded by the tourism industry nationwide, but as a bipartisan hospitality recovery bill awaits support in the U.S. Senate this week, the home of Falls Park and the Swamp Rabbit Trail may have the lead in attracting a unique niche of traveler the Airbnb-nesting remote worker.

In a survey report released by Airbnb Thursday morning, Greenville was listed among the likes of Steamboat Springs, Colo., and Sante Fe, N.M., as the site's top trending small-to-mid-size city destinations with access to outdoor activities and wide-open spaces. Visitors to these cities have tended to pencil in at least two weeks of travel time due to the ability to work remotely, according to the news release.

Other contenders included Park City, Utah; Truckee, Calif.; Durham, N.C.; Boise, Idaho; Richmond, Va.; Indianapolis, Ind.; and Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

At least 83% of the survey's respondents favored relocating as a benefit of remote working, with one-fifth reporting that they had already relocated temporarily or permanently due to the pandemic. About 60% of parents said that they were likely to consider traveling with their children while working remotely if the in-person school year remains uncertain, with Generation Z and millennial workers being the most likely to favor a location transition.

Anthony Wohlers, the owner of a 100-year-old cabin featured on Airbnb for $70 a night, said that reservations for the home "exploded" in the months after COVID-19 kept people locked away in their apartments and homes.

The cabin, built near the Wohler's historic home and three-acre property, may appear to be a world away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Greenville, but in fact is only three miles from the city center and borders the Swamp Rabbit Trail a major draw for visitors both before and after COVID-19 pushed visitors toward destinations with more trees than people.

Through June and July, bookings have been about 90% for the cabin, even during the week, which is on par with numbers from last's visitors.

From here, with an Airbnb's tendency to be more private than hotel stays, Wohler can only see the trend go up, perhaps at the expense of the wider hotel and motel industry.

"The hotel industry is fighting," he said, adding that he can see...