Economic eects of Airbnb in Australia
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Services like Airbnb can assist the
government and industry to achieve the
broad goal of improving capability, capacity
and community. Aside from the increase
in visitor accommodation supply facilitated
by Airbnb, it also creates a vast network
of hosts who are advocates for their local
community and more broadly, Tasmania.
The hosts consulted with as part of this
study each frequently recommended local
businesses and tailored experiences to their
guests, creating a sense of community and
facilitating an enjoyable stay.
Airbnb may also assist in achieving the
rst priority under T21: generating more
demand for travel to Tasmania. The actions
identied to achieve this priority relate to
marketing, word-of-mouth and third party
endorsement, and developing a series of
strategies to promote Tasmania’s oering.
However, survey results show in New South
Wales that 31 per cent of Airbnb guests said
they would not have come or stayed as long
in Sydney without Airbnb. Assuming similar
results are found in other jurisdictions,
including Tasmania, Airbnb may be able to
facilitate increased demand for travel to
Tasmania. This is particularly so for regional
areas outside Hobart such as the Tasmanian
east coast, which is well-served by both
private rental accommodation (listed on
websites such as Airbnb and Stayz) and
traditional accommodation. The Premier,
Will Hodgman, stated that 'without the
sharing economy and companies like
Airbnb and Stayz, Tasmania would have
a serious accommodation shortage'.
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The Tasmanian Government recently
announced its sharing economy policy,
which includes new provisions and
exemptions relating to accommodation
sharing. Under the policy, hosts sharing
up to four bookable rooms on a platform
are not required to obtain a permit, while
listings with more than four bookable
rooms or properties over a certain size
have dierent requirements.
63
It is noted,
however, that Deloitte Access Economics
did not consider appropriate regulation in
this report.
Victoria
The Victorian Visitor Economy Strategy,
recently released by the Victorian
Government, aims to increase visitor
spending to $36.5 billion by 2025 and
increase employment in the sector to
320,700 jobs. The strategy identies nine
priorities to achieve this goal, with a focus
on positioning Victoria competitively
against the other states.
The key aspiration under the strategy is
to develop better experiences for visitors
travelling for leisure, business, education
and health services, and visiting friends
and relatives. Airbnb can assist in achieving
this broad aspiration through the unique
service oered through its platform. As
described in Chapter 4, consumers enjoy
a range of benets associated with the
Airbnb platform, many of which contribute
to the overall visitor experience. For
example, guests can enjoy restaurants,
cafes and attractions recommended
by their Airbnb host, generating a living
experience more similar to a local resident
than a conventional tourist. The range of
accommodation, price of accommodation
and duration of stay available on Airbnb
may also suit a wider variety of visitor
types compared to traditional tourist
accommodation.
The second priority identied in the
strategy relates to building on the
potential of regional and rural Victoria.
The various actions identied include
redeveloping regional visitor infrastructure
and collaborating with Regional Tourism
Boards to better promote the regions
and facilitate visitation. While visitor
accommodation is not noted as a specic
action within this priority, the provision of
Airbnb accommodation in regional and rural
Victoria may nevertheless assist in attracting
more visitors to Victoria’s regions. Not only
does Airbnb increase accommodation
supply in situations where supply may
otherwise be limited, such as during key
events and peak periods, but it also serves
as an important marketing tool in and of
itself. Visitors browsing the platform may
discover regional locations to add to
their itineraries.
Maximising the benets of events is the
fourth priority in the strategy. A number
of targeted actions are identied to achieve
this goal, including allocating funding and
attracting new and existing events to
Victoria. As above, visitor accommodation
is not a focus under this priority; however,
platforms such as Airbnb can assist in
ensuring sucient accommodation is
available during peak periods. Interstate,
Airbnb has previously partnered with the
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, the
Adelaide Fringe and the Australian
Masters Games.
The broad goal of the visitor economy
strategy is to increase visitor expenditure
across the state. Airbnb survey data shows
that, on average, Melbourne Airbnb guests
spend 41 per cent more than an average
tourist in Melbourne, with Airbnb guests
spending $248 per night and average
tourists spending $176 per night.
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While
not directly linked to any of the actions listed
above, Airbnb may nevertheless assist in
increasing visitor expenditure across
the state.
South Australia
The South Australian Tourism Commission
launched the South Australian Tourism Plan
2020 in mid-2014. It identies a number
of priority action areas to increase visitor
expenditure to $8.0 billion by 2020.
The third priority identied under the plan is
to support and reap the benets of existing
infrastructure in the state, recognising
the substantial recent investments in
accommodation and other developments
around Adelaide and in regional areas.
The priority is articulated as using existing
infrastructure to foster quality experiences,
thereby enticing visitors and driving
repeat visitation.