Suva Least Ranked Travel Destinations With Airbnb: Study

Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association’s Articles of Association dictate that its active members, or accommodation providers, must have a hotel license before joining. Airbnb properties do not qualify as such – or at least not yet. But they make up part of the tourism market, and they do take a chunk of the proceeds.

Suva is one of the few cities with the least Airbnb stays, a global study has shown. Of the seven million global rentals on Airbnb, Suva ranked third least Airbnb stays in the world, according to findings published by INKIfi.

While attempts for comments from the Ministry of Tourism and Tourism Fiji were unsuccessful when this edition went to print, the Airbnb sector has no specific legislation governing its operations in Fiji.

The question of its regulations is often met with minimum response during tourism discussions.

Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association’s Articles of Association dictate that its active members, or accommodation providers, must have a hotel license before joining.

Airbnb properties do not qualify as such – or at least not yet.

But they make up part of the tourism market, and they do take a chunk of the proceeds.

A Google-search rolls down a handsome list of over 800 properties which operate in the Airbnb space across Fiji.

It reveals that the business does not limit its market to budget travellers only, as Fiji’s Airbnb market also offers some plush villas along the sunny coast of the mainland.

From Inkifi

INKIfi – a United Kingdom digital website that prints travel images – launched a study in 2019, in pursuit of the global destinations with the largest offering of Airbnbs.

Following COVID-19 and its global impact, INKIfi decided to update its information on Airbnb operators globally, where it found:

Brunei was home to the city with the least Airbnb listings, Bandar Seri Begawan.

Gibraltar, with only 6.8 square kilometre in land mass area, had the fifth highest density of any country in the world, with a population of about 30,000 people. However, the city was second in the rankings, with just about 158 active listings.

Suva, Fiji, a multiracial and multicultural community, considered the capital of the South Pacific, was third on the list of the smallest offerings of Airbnb stays.

With almost 10,000 more Airbnbs than any other city, London had by far the most choice for travellers.

Ankara, Turkey, has the cheapest average daily rate for Airbnbs, while Las Vegas was the most expensive to stay in an Airbnb.