Web’s $70m boom for home owners
THE region’s householders are opening their doors to the world’s travellers, so much so that the region has been identified as an online accommodation hotspot.
In the past year travellers spent nearly $70 million on accommodation in regional Victoria through Airbnb and other web equivalents, with Torquay, Ocean Grove, Lorne and Geelong proving particularly popular.
But tourism bosses say the extraordinary shift away from hotels, motels and established bed and breakfast providers towards casual online upstarts needs to be better regulated.
Melbourne-based Karl Assi, who owns an investment property in Ocean Grove, has been using Airbnb for 18 months and says many of his guests hailed from regional Victoria with an occasional booking from abroad.
“We’ve got people staying here from the Netherlands over Christmas, so there is that potential to reach a worldwide market,” Mr Assi said.
“You get a real mixture. The great part about Airbnb for me as a property owner is that you’re able to screen who stays in your property. It’s a great set-up.
“It’s so convenient in that you can provide an accommodation service from your smartphone — who would have thought that was possible 10 years ago?”
Tourism Geelong and the Bellarine chief Roger Grant said online platforms such as Airbnb and Stayz were operating in an unregulated space, putting established providers at a disadvantage.
“It’s a lot like the impact of Uber and its equivalents on the taxi industry,” he said.
“The challenge for these online companies is they need to contribute to the network that attracts tourists to the region in the first place and the infrastructure they use while they are here.
“I know the State Govern- ment is doing some work in this area.”
Airbnb country manager Sam McDonagh said his organisation was providing direct economic stimulus to rural Australians compared to hotel chains.
“Most of the attention Airbnb receives focuses on the big capital cities like Sydney and Melbourne,” he said.
“But the reality is Airbnb’s beating heart is in fact Australia’s traditional heartland — regional communities like Geelong or Ballarat. We have achieved a remarkable double — a majority of listings and a majority of guest arrivals outside metro areas.”
“You get a real mixture. The great part about Airbnb for me as a property owner is that you’re able to screen who stays in your property. It’s a great set up.” KARL ASSI