American Travel Writer and Tourism Consultant, Doug Lansky, is calling for greater collaboration between Airbnb and traditional hotels.
Speaking at the Tourism Awareness Week 2023 visionary symposium held at the Hyatt Ziva Hotel, Montego Bay, St. James on September 28, Mr. Lansky said while competition can be healthy from a marketing standpoint, collaboration, if applied properly, can be more potent.
“I can imagine a scenario where operators of the traditional hotels enter into an agreement with some of the high-end Airbnb properties and say…why not use our gym…our pool…and maybe breakfast [and or lunch] for an extra $40 or $50 on what you are charging. Now wouldn’t that be a win…win for everybody?” he stated
Mr. Lansky also stated that the Airbnb sector should be regulated, to ensure sustainability and destination assurance.
“Airbnb comes with [its] fair share of [pros and cons]. I have seen it in action in places all over the world. It is my [belief] that it must be regulated in some form,” he stated.
Former Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) President, Omar Robinson, also echoed similar sentiments.
“The 29 per cent of visitors that came to Jamaica on the Airbnb platform earning some US$100 million for owners, would suggest that this is a business. Like every other legitimate business in this country, it must be treated by the same standards. They [Airbnb] must be regulated like everyone else,” he stated.
Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, had previously expressed similar views at the recently held Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) in Montego Bay, St. James.
“The development of this particular business model and also this broader layer of economic activity, like everything else, will have to get into the formal system. Because, for one, the destination assurance strategy that we are embracing must ensure that thevisitor who goes anywhere in Jamaica is safe, secure, and has a seamless experience,” Mr. Bartlett said
“So, we have to look now at the licensing regimes that are going to have to become a renewed feature of the tourism experience. Only recently, I started a major discussion with the Cabinet around the issue of looking at the Tourism Act and reviewing various areas of it. I think that we will be reviewing all the models we are embracing now, and the physical landscape will have to reflect the models that are in tourism,” he added.
Mr. Lansky is an American travel writer based in Stockholm, Sweden. He has spent 10 years traveling the world nonstop, visiting over 100 countries, and has lived outside the United States for an additional 13 years.
