AIRBNB SURGE CLOSES TURBULENT YEAR

AIRBNB operators experienced a surge in bookings as border restrictions eased.

The homesharing platform reported 47,000 guest arrivals in the six weeks from December 1, of which about 75 per cent were interstate travellers.

And 82 per cent of bookings were made for properties outside of Hobart.

Bellerive Airbnb host Siska Hocking noticed a spike in bookings during December, describing her property’s occupancy rate as “consistent”.

“But at the moment we don’t have many reservations at all,” she said.

“We had a lot of people stay here while the Big Bash League hub was hosted at Blundstone Arena, but now that's over, the bookings have stopped.”

Ms Hocking, who operates the Airbnb next to her family home, used the border lockdown period to renovate the property amid a dramatic drop in occupancy.

“I’ve noticed there is a lot less shortstay properties in Bellerive as there once was. I think many were converted into rentals when the pandemic struck,” she said.

Ms Hocking speculated that a recent Airbnb occupancy spike was due to a decrease of available shortstay homes.

Airbnb head of public policy Derek Nolan said the late resurgence in bookings was a good sign for the state’s tourism industry.

“After an incredibly challenging year for all Tasmanians, it’s been really great to see people spending the summer enjoying the state’s worldclass attractions and spending valuable tourism dollars in every corner,” he said.

“Among them were thousands of locals, who chose to travel around their own state this summer, support their fellow Tasmanians and help ensure tourism can continue to recover and rebuild.”

The company said a report it commissioned from Oxford Economics found that Airbnb guests spent more than $364m in Tasmania in 2019, including more than $116m in Hobart.

The report also found Airbnb supported 3200 jobs across Tasmania in 2019.