Talking Point: Tasmanians are heading back to Airbnb

Short-stay accommodation helps state on the road to recovery, says Derek Nolan

LOCAL JOYS: More than twice the number of Tasmanians are staying in Airbnb in the state than at the same time last year.

THEY say absence makes the heart grow fonder — and it’s fair to say that’s becoming more apparent by the day for the countless mainlanders yearning to return to Tasmania.

They’re missing the bars and restaurants, the cafes and scallop pies, the pristine natural scenes and the sparkling creativity of the state’s beverage scene. They want to return to that little shop where they found that hidden gem on their last visit and try that pub dish they never got around to trying after a local recommended it.

What they may not realise is that Tasmania’s tourism industry — and the colossal number of local jobs and businesses that depend on it — is missing them just as much. When the time is right and conditions are appropriate, everyone will be reunited. In the meantime, it’s been heartening to see Tasmanian Airbnb hosts and guests stepping up and supporting businesses across the state. For June, same-state bookings were up 106 per cent on the same period last year, more than double. That’s Tasmanians supporting Tasmanians and exploring their own beautiful backyard in the process.

Local hosts understand the road to economic recovery won’t be an easy one, but they also know tourism will play a huge role in that recovery and they’re eager to do what they can to help their state thrive. We commissioned Oxford Economics to help us better understand Airbnb’s contribution to economic growth. That report found Airbnb supported 3200 local jobs in 2019.

Tassie hosts are proud of this contribution. While 2020 has been a year characterised by disruption and challenges, these figures help paint a clearer picture of the role they’ll play in helping communities get back on their feet across the state.

At the same time, it’s important that kneejerk calls for more red tape are not allowed to unnecessarily impede economic recovery efforts at this critical juncture. Too many local jobs depend on it. There has been some speculative commentary drawing links between supposed declines in short-term rentals and movements in rent prices, when in fact the data doesn’t bear this out. Airbnb figures collected by the Tasmanian government as part of its nation-leading compliance process show there hasn’t been a material drop in the number of listings. To attempt to make a connection between this relatively small change and large-scale changes in rental prices doesn’t stack up.

At best, it fails to understand the complex nature of the housing market and the significant role played by factors such as population boom, student numbers and the need for more supply. The fact is that while they’re set to play an enormous role in tourism recovery, short-term rentals represent just a tiny fraction of the housing market. Non-primary home listings with planning permits account for less than 1 per cent of the housing market in greater Hobart (Hobart, Glenorchy, Clarence, Kingborough and Brighton), when considered alongside the latest Census data. A very small change to the number of listings that make up this tiny percentage is extremely unlikely to have a significant impact.

The sensible laws implemented by the Tasmanian government are doing their job to ensure hosts are complying with local short-stay planning rules. At the same time, these laws are allowing Tasmanian hosts to roll up their sleeves and do their part to help rebuild tourism and support thousands of jobs.

Derek Nolan is Airbnb’s head of public policy in Australia.