City’s Airbnb boom
Growing home share industry resistant to more regulation
GEELONG is in the middle of an Airbnb boom with 80,000 visitors to the city booking their stay via the home sharing service last year.
Airbnb says the figure represents a 70 per cent increase over the previous 12 months with Geelong Airbnb hosts earning about $1000 more than the national average.
Airbnb country manager Sam McDonagh there were now 2000 Airbnb accommodation listings in Geelong, with hosts earning an average of $5900.
“It’s an important city for Airbnb,’’ Mr McDonagh said.
“We have seen an incredible growth over 12 months.”
Mr McDonagh attributed the growth to the mindset of travellers who wanted to immerse themselves in a hyper local experience.
A third of visitors would not have taken the trip without the “travel deeper” option of Airbnb, he said.
“They stay longer and spend more,” Mr McDonagh said. “It really comes down to the new way of travelling and the experience people want to have.”
In Geelong for the Australia Coastal Councils Conference, Mr McDonagh said Airbnb was aware of the need to support the community. He said the service was committed to working with cities around the world, in some cases collecting tourism taxes and levies.
But he urged legislators to take a “light touch” with any move to tax or rate the industry.
“The administrative burden should not be great on local government or on the hosts,” he said. “It they make it too much of a deterrent to home sharing, those cities will not get the benefits.”
Mr McDonagh said the service supported the State Government’s move to protect the community from the “party house’’ misuse of Airbnb, suggesting it could be a model for the rest of Australia.
Under the proposed legislation, landlords whose properties are used for “perpetual parties” will face bans from the short-term rental market.