Airbnb joins mainstream
Co-operatve agreement struck with tourism body
AIRBNB on the Gold Coast will be marketed alongside traditional hotels and apartments as part of the first partnership of its kind in Australia.
The agreement between the short-term rental website and Gold Coast Tourism comes as the city prepares for an influx of more than 600,000 visitors in April for the Commonwealth Games.
The partnership – the first time a tourism body has joined forces with Airbnb in Australia – will likely be opposed by some in the hotel industry.
As part of the agreement, Airbnb will share its data with Gold Coast Tourism so that it can make more informed decisions about its marketing programs and cater to the local accommodation hot spots.
The agreement includes posibilities for a joint marketing campaign and the creation of an “Airbnb Destination Guide” for the Gold Coast, with more cities to possibly follow.
The guide will showcase the city’s attractions based on the location of the Airbnb accommodation, as well as highlight the Gold Coast region’s hidden gems.
Airbnb already has a similar guide for Sydney, but this would be the first time it is done in partnership with a local tourism body.
Gold Coast Tourism chief executive Martin Winter said the data from Airbnb was “missing from our statistical suite” and would give it a “whole segment of the Gold Coast travel and accommodation market that we haven’t had before”.
There are already more than 3000 Airbnb listings on the Gold Coast which earn on average $5200 a year, off about 32 nights of bookings.
Airbnb’s country manager Sam McDonagh said the company wanted to work with local industry groups “to grow the tourism pie”.
Currumbin resident Liz Loadwich has been putting her apartment, attached to her home, on Airbnb for 12 months.
“I get a lot overseas visitors – China, Malaysia, Spain, Columbia – it’s a great way to meet people, especially young people,” Ms Loadwich said.
“There’s not many hotels in Currumbin, so it means people can stay here and take advantage of all the nice quiet spots on the south of the Gold Coast.”