‘Healthy tourism: delivering for communities now and in the future’

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Tourism is a cornerstone of the UK economy, attracting visitors from all over the world to experience our vibrant communities, stunning natural landscapes, and rich cultural heritage. At Airbnb, we believe in the power of travel, which is why responsible tourism is at the heart of what we do.

We know that building a sustainable tourism sector is vital to preserving and extending the benefits of tourism to communities across the UK. That’s why in 2022, Airbnb proudly introduced our Healthy Tourism Commitment— an initiative dedicated to fostering a more healthy travel environment.

As part of this commitment, we advocated for ending Section 21 evictions, a cause we’re glad to see the new government moving forward with. We also made clear our readiness to help implement tourism taxes where there is clear support from the local community.

Steps towards sustainability

A key step towards making UK tourism more sustainable is ensuring that local communities understand the role of short-term lets (STLs) in their areas. According to a recent study by EY, the vast majority of areas across the UK benefit significantly from STLs, with “little to no relationship” between Airbnb and house or rental prices. In fact, entire homes listed on Airbnb account for less than 0.7% of total dwellings nationally.

However, we recognise that certain hotspots face unique challenges, and we are committed to being part of the solution in these areas.

The current regulatory system in England doesn’t yet equip local authorities with the tools to address problem areas effectively – as there is no clear or consistent data on the number of STLs. That’s why we’ve long advocated for a comprehensive, easy-to-use, national registration scheme. First proposed in our 2021 white paper, this initiative underpins our Healthy Tourism Commitment.

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A national regulation  scheme would help regulate STLs in a balanced and proportionate way, providing  local authorities with the data they need to better understand both the benefits and impacts in their area.

This would build on our ongoing efforts to support communities. For example, our Neighbour Support Line allows people to report t issues, enabling our dedicated team to follow-up and take appropriate action.  To enforce our party ban, we proactively block potential higher-risk bookings, helping to protect hosts and communities— just 0.035% of reservations in 2023 resulted in an allegation of a party.

This year, we also partnered with the Office for National Statistics to share data, contributing to the first comprehensive national overview of short-term letting activity.

Setting common goals

Our common goal should be to ensure that tourism continues to make a significant contribution to the UK economy, in a sustainable way. In 2023, travel on Airbnb contributed £5.7billion to the UK economy, supporting over 75,000 jobs. The typical host in the UK earned nearly £5,500 a year—the equivalent of two months’ additional pay for the average UK household.

This extra income has been a lifeline for many of our hosts during the cost of living crisis, with two-thirds of UK hosts stating that it helps them remain in their homes and communities they love. We want to give more people access to this opportunity by working with banks and building societies to create mortgages that allow homeowners to share a space in their homes. Most recently, we partnered with Natwest to advance this effort.

The host community is also essential in providing the accommodation needed for major events across the UK, such as Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool and the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham. This flexibility allows cities to accommodate more visitors sustainably and ensures that a greater share of the economic benefits from these major events stays within the local community, supporting businesses, jobs, and families.

Airbnb continues to directly support communities through Airbnb.org and the efforts of our host community, which has helped resettle hundreds of thousands of refugees worldwide.

We were particularly proud to support Ukrainian refugees relocating to the UK by offering short-term accommodation for 100,000 people,building on a similar scheme for those fleeing Afghanistan. For these refugees, our hope is that the community provides  not only a safe place to start over, but also a warm and welcoming home.

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Airbnb is especially proud to stand against domestic abuse and support the life saving work of Women’s Aid through funding, training, and ongoing partnership efforts. We are committed to supporting survivors and creating a safer environment for all – with the goal of helping to end domestic violence on a global scale.

We are expecting to hear soon from the new government on their plans for the sector. A well-designed, light-touch registration scheme, combined with thoughtful adjustments to the planning system, will enable local authorities to manage any impacts where issues are evident.

At Airbnb, we want to see change which supports local communities, benefits families, and contributes to the UK economy. We look forward to working with the new UK Government in making this a reality.

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