Airbnb happy with travel voucher plan

GLOBAL short-stay accommodation provider Airbnb has praised the state government’s travel voucher scheme for supporting Tasmanian tourism.

Premier Peter Gutwein announced the Make Yourself at Home travel voucher scheme on Tuesday, which will provide up to $100 towards the cost for commercial accommodation, or up to $50 per booking to participate in a tourism experience in the state.

Airbnb Australian head of public policy Derek Nolan said the scheme would boost regional travel and empower Tasmanians to support communities.

“Airbnb’s Tasmanian host community is collectively the largest accommodation provider in the state and plays a really critical role in the tourism economy,” he said.

“The overwhelming majority of our hosts are in rural and regional Tasmania, so Airbnb is perfectly placed to encourage people to support their fellow Tasmanians across every corner of the state.”

Mr Nolan said Airbnb had been inundated with calls and emails from hosts seeking to be part of the government’s tourism voucher scheme.

“While the government is still finalising the details of the scheme, we look forward to working collaboratively with them to ensure that the benefit of this exciting initiative is maximised for all Tasmanians,” he said.

Mr Nolan said research by Oxford Economics found Airbnb guests spent more than $364m in Tasmania in 2019, supporting 3200 jobs.

The government will announce further guidelines before the end of the month.