Airbnb has teamed up with a tourism body to produce a report it describes as “ground breaking” in spelling out so-called best practices for managing short lets.
The report suggests short-term rentals have increased the accommodation available and offers “a different and sometimes unique option to travellers.”
It also offers case studies from destinations such as Cape Town, Sydney, and Seattle, and includes simple policy recommendations such as data sharing, registration, smart taxation, and long-term community investment approaches.
It does not touch upon many of the issues regarding impact on local housing markets, which has been the focus of much discussion in the UK and between different governments in this country.
According to a survey of guests who stayed in Airbnb listings in 2021, 20 per cent indicated that if their choice of property were not an option, they would have changed their length of stay to ensure they were able to book their preferred property.
Theo Yedinsky, Airbnb Global Policy Director, says: “Short-term rentals allows everyday people to take part in the tourism economy, and the income earned through hosting is helping many people navigate the impacts of inflation.
“In fact, approximately 35 per cent of Airbnb hosts globally say they host to help cover the rising cost of living. Additionally, short-term rentals help spread visitor spending through communities.
“As travel returns, governments and tourism officials can partner with short-term rental platforms like Airbnb to develop fair, reasonable rules that strengthen destinations, and preserve these economic benefits for communities and local residents.”
The report analysed a number of popular destinations which have benefitted from implementing what it calls “balanced rules to address short-term rentals” - pointedly, this does not include any reference to the UK nations, whose governments have often been critical of short lets in general and sometimes Airbnb in particular.
However, the report does reference Sydney in Australia which has taken steps to regulate short-term rentals. Airbnb says data sharing allows governments to keep track and manage short-term rental activities and helps inform data-driven policy decisions.
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They are on the defensive, the industry fully understands that they are in the governments cross hairs. The locals in Cornwall and other popular areas are on the move ….. getting their plans together and campaigning to stop the loss of normal AST’s. The fighting has only just begun.
They certainly seem to be focusing on the renting the spare room in the hosts own home side of Airbnb rather than the converting a long term BTL into a holiday home version.
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