Solar Eclipse Sparks Hundreds of Rental Requests

Next month's solar eclipse has some Americans traveling hundreds of miles to watch in in direct line of sight.

On April 8, the moon will entirely block the light from the sun, and the rare event will be observed from areas in a specific path across North America. It will be visible from Mexico to Austin, Texas, Little Rock, Arkansas, and to Cleveland, Ohio, and Buffalo, New York. Maine will be one of the last stops in its path. NASA said the next total solar eclipse to be observed across the United States won't take place until August 23, 2044.

The Airbnb industry is also seeing a shakeup in the number of bookings for the April 8 weekend as people race to find the top spots to watch.

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For Katie Shields, who rents out Cole's Moosehorn Cabins in an unorganized territory just outside of Millinocket, Maine, the interest in the cabins for the time of year has been unusually high. For the April 8 time frame specifically, the requests came pouring in beginning in September of last year.

"They have continued to come in daily and many days we'll get maybe six requests," Shields told Newsweek. "And the folks seem to be from all over the country."

Shields said they rent out several log cabins outside of their main lodge, which they characterize as both "rustic" and "off the grid."

Despite the mass interest surrounding the eclipse, Shields said they haven't raised prices, but the situation is complicated.

Usually in Millinocket, Maine, they're still in "winter mode," Shields said. The access into camp is via snowmobile only as the road becomes a groomed sled trail.

"This winter has been very unpredictable with warm temps and little snow," Shields said. "In a typical year around mid-April we enter into 'mud season.' Snow retreats off our road, the warmer days and sun thaw the frozen ground making camp roads impassable with mud."

Shields said she's still potentially expecting them to get hammered with snow, which could put a damper on the solar eclipse and cancel bookings.

"This is all to say, for us and for potentially other camp owners in the area, we can't guarantee access into our camps, which has really complicated accepting reservation requests and plans," Shields said. "We had originally expected full occupancy, activities including a bonfire on what should have been a frozen lake...."

Still, bookings are on a steep incline at a sorely needed time, Shields said.

"It's a long way out for spring fishing and the return of tourists and camp owners," Shields said. "There is a lot of excitement about the eclipse and some disbelief, too. Like, are all these folks really going to come all the way here for this?"

Shields said the nearby town of Houlton has been planning events for the eclipse for years, and schools are already implementing an early release. Bed and breakfasts in the area are also ticketing for parking and offer live music events in celebration.

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The Airbnb owner called it "a perfect time of year to make a big impact on area businesses," adding that she wonders where solar eclipse tourists will eat.

"Our little town of Millinocket has very few options in April as most seasonal businesses have yet to open," Shields said.

Airbnb said traffic for the solar eclipse destinations has skyrocketed by as much as 1,000 percent.

Beyond the desolate area in Maine, cities like Austin, Texas, are a top destination along with Cleveland, Dallas and Montreal.

"With two-thirds of the U.S. home to listings in areas with no hotels, Airbnb is making it easier for guests to experience the eclipse in more communities," AirBnB told Fortune.