Airbnb helping to meet alternative tourism’s needs

IT seems not a day goes by without a discussion of Airbnb.

In my home state of Tasmania, debate is raging over the extent to which Airbnb can be blamed for the housing shortage, as Hobart’s rental vacancy rates are at an all-time low. But on the Gold Coast, Airbnb is playing an important role filling the accommodation shortages that exist around mega events such as the Commonwealth Games.

So what is Airbnb? Who really uses it? Can we distinguish the emotion that surrounds this phenomena from the facts of how it works? And what does it mean for the tourism industry?

These are some of the questions I will be answering at a free lecture on March 22 at Southern Cross University Gold Coast.

I recently conducted research into Airbnb with UQ professor Sara Dolnicar. We explored what type of tourists use the platform.

We found that originally Airbnb began was a highly organised, fee-paying version of couch surfing.

Early adopters of Airbnb were thought of as those who embraced an alternative lifestyle, who were highly social and happy to stay in a host’s spare room.

But as Airbnb has grown, the market has differentiated. There are now guests who use Airbnb that do not wish to meet their hosts, but use it primarily to save money.

There are also Airbnb guests whose primary motivation is to have an authentic experience and live like a local.

And finally there are Airbnb guests who are characterised by their utilitarian desires.

They may be travelling in groups or have special needs and consequently they seek out bespoke-style accommodation such as that with multiple rooms, disability access, or unusual forms of accommodation such as tree houses, house boats and caravans.

The rise of Airbnb has produced an “alternative” tourism industry.

While some Airbnb hosts are members of local tourism organisations, the vast majority are not.

(AIRBNB) HOSTS PLAY A HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT ROLE AS LOCAL TOURISM AMBASSADORS

There is tension between the traditional industry and this new wave of tourism operators.

We need to ensure that both forms of the tourism industry work together, as Airbnb has been proven by my UTAS colleague Dr Louise Grimmer to make significant contributions to retail expenditure and offers opportunities for micro entrepreneurship.

Perhaps, most importantly, the interaction that occurs between hosts and guests in Airbnb properties means hosts play a highly significant role as local tourism ambassadors.

Just like with Instagram, we can’t shy away from this rapidly emerging phenomenon. If we can’t beat the wave, let’s learn to surf and enjoy the ride.

Read Airbnb Part 2 in next week’s Business Insight.