Airbnbs recovering from the pandemic
Stakeholders say that Airbnbs are benefiting from the upturn in visitor arrivals, relaxing of the covid measures and the overall freeing of movement across the island. Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett, said Jamaica’s tourism sector is set to make approximately US$1.5 billion by the end of August this year, largely due to the positive rise in visitor arrivals since the start of the year. An estimated one million visitors are expected during the period of January to August, with over 700,000 visitor arrivals so far. Minister Bartlett praised the industry’s resilience in recovering quickly from the pandemic. He made the announcement while speaking at the Christmas in July Trade Show held at the Jamaica Pegasus on 22 July.
President of the Home Sharing Association of Jamaica, Sherie-Ann Anderson, publicly lamented the impact the pandemic had on Airbnbs. She said that despite the global impact the local hosts were able to avoid the 25 per cent reduction in staff experienced last year in the homesharing sector. However, growth seems to be returning to the sector as well.
Feonia Williams, an agent in the homesharing industry, which falls under the Airbnb flagship, said she has seen a sharp increase in bookings since June of this year. Williams said most of the people she does bookings for are entertainers who reside overseas. She said they prefer the Airbnb’s service in lieu of hotels because the prices make it possible for them to stay longer for less. “When they come from Europe it’s a long flight and they try to accomplish a lot before going back” she said. She added that patrons sometimes spent months at a time at some locations because of their work commitments and how long they were contracted to work at a particular location. This, she said, would not have been feasible without the affordability of the homesharing venture. “Hotels charge per person while most Airbnbs charge per room or per night, this means five persons can occupy a house or apartment and split the cost equally, thus each person pays less. Making it even more competitive was the fact that the charge per night was still usually cheaper than the hotels’ rates.
Williams said the Airbnbs and hotels operate homogeneously as both offer something the other doesn’t. Those people who want the all-inclusive experience will go to the hotels. Those who want to just escape the town and sample the restaurants near by or are looking for cheap accommodations while on a work trip the Airbnbs provide a viable choice.
Prices for Airbnbs in Jamaica range from a just under US$50 per night to as much US$300 per night. Amenities, location and size determine the difference in prices. Our news team visited several Airbnbs in Kingston, Ocho Rios and St Catherine and observed first-hand the COVID-19 health measures. For the most part all guidelines were being respected. We observed several signs prohibiting gatherings and instructions to sanitize regularly at the several stations provided.
One guest agreed to speak with the paper but asked not to be named. She said that she had originally planned to vacation at a hotel in Ocho Rios but they were fully booked for the Emancipation weekend. This was her first time at an Airbnb. “I wasn’t expecting to see so many people, many of whom, when I asked opted to stay here (at the Airbnb) because they couldn’t get a reservation at one of the nearby all-inclusive hotels”. The guest expressed satisfaction with the Airbnb experience, commenting on affordability and the close proximity of restaurants. She enjoyed having the best of both worlds – cheap accommodation and excellent location affording access to good restaurants.
