Oooh – controversy! I know we have had enough of that with the current political situation, but a little tourism controversy is a good starting point for a discussion on the biggest change to the tourism industry in recent years- the rise of Airbnb as a lodging option.
Airbnb was born out of an idea of two men who were trying to figure out cheap ways to stay in different locations. It started out in San Francisco as a couch surfing type website and was seen as a novelty for cash strapped millennials who wanted to travel, so it was no threat to the lodging industry. I actually joined it 2009 – my one bedroom cottage was # 7398th to be listed.
My experience as an Airbnb host
At the time I had a one bedroom apartment over my garage. I decided to try this way of making some extra money ( I had two kids in college at the time and was a single mother. It was this or selling my plasma). I invested thousands in upgrading a basic beige carpet white wall apartment into a cozy cottage with a woodsy theme, local Finger lakes art and a fully stocked kitchen. Because of my hospitality background, being an Airbnb host came naturally to me and I welcomed guests from all over the world. Airbnb updated their website, and added many resources for guests and hosts over the years. It was a great way to make some extra money and welcome people to the Finger Lakes. I recommended attractions and restaurants to my guests as well as where to buy their Finger Lakes wine and souvenirs.
Why attractions should support Airbnb
As an attraction, you should look at Airbnb and your local hosts as wonderful ambassadors. The market has spoken and many travellers want to ‘live like a local’ and have a different experience than they would staying in a hotel. Many travelers want to be able to cook, have family together in a common space or enjoy specifics areas where there are no hotel options. As an attraction, we need to see Airbnb as a way to increase the lodging availability in our destination, and therefore increase the number of people who can come visit our attraction.
Why Your Tourism Promotion agency isn’t a big fan of Airbnb
Fast forward to today and Airbnb has become a huge problem for the lodging industry. They are trying to shut it down in destinations based on strategies like wanting to ensure that guests are staying in safe environments and that unscrupulous investors who have multiple listings in one location make them a hotelier by default. And Airbnb hosts don’t pay the same taxes that hotels do.
But your DMO is likely supporting the lodging industry efforts to limit or remove Airbnb and other vacation rental businesses. Why? Because most DMO’s are funded by the bed tax collected by the county. Airbnb owners pay taxes, but not bed taxes. Therefore, if a DMO were to support the growth of vacation rentals, they would be cutting off their own spending.
Local and state lodging associations have lobbyists who speak to our elected officials more than we do. So it is our job as attractions to support the growth of Airbnb since it can directly impact our bottom line. This graph shows how leisure and business travelers markets have both increased their use of Airbnb properties in each of the last few years.
How attractions can work with Airbnb properties to bring more visitors through your door.
If you can get ‘superhosts’ to consistently recommend your attraction, you will grow your visitation. How do you find these hosts? By setting up a profile for yourself so you can enter the system. Once you have set up your profile, you can look for properties near your attraction. Look for hosts that have been with Airbnb for a while and have good reviews. Superhosts do both. Send them an email offering them free admission if they will come visit your attraction. Or maybe you could host a 1/2 day FAM for a group of hosts and give them a special guided tour so they can learn how to best promote your attraction. Remember, word of mouth advertising is the most potent form of advertising so Airbnb hosts are trusted advisors as far as their guests are concerned.
Think of Airbnb as an ambassador program for your attraction and support their presence in your community!