Airbnb has today released its proposed regulatory principles for
short-term accommodation which would support the Thai Government’s
objectives of making Thailand the premier tourist destination in Asia
and one of the top tourist destinations globally.
Driven
by a desire for more local, unique and authentic travel experiences,
the Airbnb community in Thailand continues to grow from strength to
strength. Local hospitality entrepreneurs are choosing Airbnb to earn
extra income or grow their business giving guests the choice to stay in
boutique hotels, vacation rentals or local homes. By helping attract and
host more guests, the Airbnb community is growing and diversifying Thai
tourism.
Following
positive meetings with multiple government departments and industry
stakeholders, Airbnb has put forward suggested regulatory principles for
short-term accommodation in Thailand. These principles would support
local priorities and reflect Thailand’s unique needs, and are consistent
with best practices for regulating short-term accommodation regionally
and globally.
The regulatory principles also reflect latest research, conducted by Expedition Strategies in
late 2018, which found 88% of Thai people would support residents in
their neighborhoods sharing their homes, 89% would consider using
short-term accommodation in the future and 84% believe short-term
accommodation is good for communities because it will bring tourists to
more areas where they will spend money.
Airbnb’s proposed regulatory principles include:
- Simple and online national-level registration – A simple, swift and online registration system for short-term accommodation to ensure compliance and promote high safety standards.
- Differentiated regulation – A differentiated – rather than one-size-fits-all – approach to regulation which distinguishes between the various types of short-term accommodation activity. For example, regulations should differentiate between someone sharing a room in their home, their own home occasionally or someone with a vacation rental for full commercial purpose.
- Industry-wide approach – There should be an industry-wide approach to regulation and close cooperation between all industry participants and regulators in implementing regulations.
- Tough but fair rules for bad behaviour – The overwhelming majority of hosts and guests are good neighbours and respectful travelers, but there should be penalties that target extremely rare instances of bad behavior.
“Airbnb
wants to be a good and responsible partner to Government and do what we
can to help Thailand achieve its tourism objectives. Already, our local
community is helping grow and diversify the Thai tourism industry and
spread the benefits of tourism to local communities across the country,
particularly those in emerging destinations like Buriram,” Airbnb’s Head
of Public Policy for Southeast Asia Mich Goh said.
“For some time, we have listened to local authorities and sought to
better understand their priorities. We appreciate the balanced and
forward-looking approach the Thai Government has considered to take in
developing a modern regulatory framework for short-term accommodation.”
“We
respectfully believe the regulatory principles for short-term
accommodation we have put forward support the Government’s objectives
and strike the right balance. We look forward to continuing to work
constructively with the Thai Government to develop regulation that would
work in Thailand.
”Earlier this year, Airbnb released new data
which found the local host and guest community generated over $33.8
billion baht in estimated direct economic impact in Thailand in 2018,
and on average Airbnb guests say 46% of their spending occurs in the
neighbourhoods where they stay.
Airbnb
is also supporting the growth of emerging destinations in Thailand. In
2018, the number of Airbnb guest arrivals visiting emerging destinations
in Thailand grew by 53% year-on-year. Recently, Airbnb launched a new
campaign, Sustainable Travel with Airbnb: Beyond Big Cities” to promote emerging destinations such as Buriram.
Source - The Thaiger
