May 8 (Reuters) - Vacation rental company Airbnb reported a higher quarterly profit on Wednesday, boosted by an increase in travel in international markets as North American bookings decelerated during the period.

Accommodation companies in the first quarter have seen the demand for travel in regions outside of North America boost earnings as travel accelerates in Asia Pacific and Latin America. The company said it expects to see steady growth throughout 2024, spurred by travel demand centered around international events.

Nights and experiences booked in the first quarter increased 9.5% year-over-year to about $133 million driven by a 21% and 19% growth in bookings in Asia-Pacific and Latin America, respectively. The company said bookings in North America "slightly decelerated" during the quarter.

The San Francisco-based company reported net income of $264 million, or 41 cents per share, for the quarter ended March, compared with $117 million, or 18 cents per share, during the same period in 2023.

Total first quarter revenue rose 18% year-over-year to $2.14 billion.

The average cost per night in an Airbnb or average daily rate was $173 in the reported quarter, a 3% rise compared to the year prior. The company saw an increase in shorter stays and bookings of entire homes which drove higher margins.

It forecast second-quarter revenue between $2.68 billion and $2.74 billion, below analysts' estimates of $2.74 billion, due in part to currency exchange rates and the timing of Easter which was beneficial to the first quarter, but may weigh on earnings in the second quarter, the company said.

Looking ahead to the summer, Airbnb said it expects year-over-year revenue growth to accelerate in the third-quarter due in part to travel demand centered around the Olympics and Euro Cup. (Reporting by Aishwarya Jain in Bengaluru and Doyinsola Oladipo in New York; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)