Unley Council turns to Airbnb to help attract tourists, boost trade

AN Adelaide council will turn to globally popular accommodation provider Airbnb to help attract tourists and, in turn, boost local trade.

Sergio La Forgia rents out his Unley house on Airbnb. Picture: Tom Huntley

UNLEY Council will turn to globally popular accommodation provider Airbnb to help attract tourists and, in turn, boost local trade.

The council is drafting a new plan to encourage tourism on its main streets, including Unley, King William and Goodwood roads.

One idea presented at the latest meeting of the council’s Business and Economic Development Committee was to “promote new innovations and technologies”, including encouraging visitors to use Airbnb to find accommodation in the area.

The accommodation website, which is growing in popularity around the world, allows people to rent out single rooms or entire homes to visitors.

But the Australian Hotels Association has described the initiative as an “overt attack” on “bricks and mortar” businesses and says it will do nothing to help the area.

Unley Council chief executive Peter Tsokas said details around the initiative were far from finalised, but would likely involve linking the council’s website to Airbnb properties in the area.

“The promotion of Airbnb will be considered as part of the strategy … because of its potential to bring people to area,” Mr Tsokas said.

Airbnb was founded in 2008 and has more than 1.5 million listings in 190 countries. There are Airbnb properties in most suburbs in the Unley district.

The service came under fire last year when local hotelier Peter Hurley said Airbnb had the “capacity to destroy local jobs”, after learning former Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood leased his CBD apartment using the website.

Mr Yarwood later described those comments as representative of “conservative Adelaide … who were scared of change and want(ed) to keep their monopolies”.

Australian Hotels Association general manager Ian Horne last week echoed Mr Hurley’s comments and suggested Unley Council’s plan was “commercially naive”.

“This is an overt attempt to disadvantage the hotels, and the bricks and mortar businesses that actually pay the highest council rates,” Mr Horne said. “Airbnb will never build you the hotels that will pay tax, employ people and grow the economy.”

Unley resident Sergio La Forgia, 31, has rented his Charles St property through Airbnb for six months. with a 75 per cent occupancy rate.

“I have used it throughout Asia and Europe ... it allows you to stay off the main tourist strip and immerse yourself in the culture,” he said.

Airbnb did not respond to inquiries.