Tourists renting holiday accommodation are providing a £4.35 billion a year boost to the UK economy, according to a report.
These rental clients are also helping create more than 95,000 jobs across the country, the report from the London School of Economics (LSE) showed.
Produced for family accommodation supply company HomeAway, the report showed that the £4.35 billion figure related to the amount spent annually by the rental clients.
The report added that the holiday rental industry contributes an estimated £100 million a year in tax revenue to the UK Government;.
It also found that expenditure by tourists staying in self-catering accommodation is growing faster than expenditure by tourists booking any other accommodation category.
The report also included a survey of 1,600 UK holiday home-owners which revealed that they spend £450 million a year on their properties and in employing local people.
The poll also showed that 36% of holiday rental owners were likely to buy an additional rental home in the next five years.
Kath Scanlon, of the LSE, said: "Holiday rental visitors stay longer at their destinations and therefore spend more. In fact, many visit rural or seaside areas specifically to stay in attractive holiday rental properties.
"This has helped areas like Cornwall where tourism has pumped new pounds into previously struggling locales."
She went on: "Most holiday rental owners support other local businesses. Support is also in the form of employment, with over three-quarters of owners employing staff to assist with property maintenance.
"Nationally, owners spend an average of about £1,600 per year per property on hiring employees. In Cornwall and North Yorkshire - two locations with underemployment issues - the figures are even higher. In these areas owners spend on average £2,500 and £3,000 respectively per property."
HomeAway UK regional director Erica Chang said: "This report is the first step in showing the significant value that the holiday rental market brings to the economy as a whole, as well as to individual communities which depend on tourism."
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