GOVERNMENT plans
to regulate Airbnb and
other home-sharing apps
in South Africa, amid
growing concerns that they
are damaging the hotel
industry. But are Airbnb
hosts taking the fall for a
decline in the hospitality
industry?
The Tourism Amendment
Bill states that short-term
home rentals will now
be legislated under the
Tourism Act and empowers
the Minister of Tourism
to determine thresholds
regarding these short-term
home rentals.
Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa,
ceo of the Tourism
Business Council of SA,
argues that the government
is simply trying to level
the playing field. “All those
in the hospitality industry
have rules they need to
adhere to, while Airbnb
does not. The Bill is trying
to normalise the industry,”
he says.
Tshifhiwa explains that
night thresholds are a
possible regulatory method,
where Airbnb hosts will
have to comply with certain
rules or operate as a
formalised accommodation
option should they exceed
the stipulated number of
nights they are allowed.
A spokesperson for Airbnb
told TNW that the platform
had clear and progressive
rules that supported the
sustainable growth of
home sharing, adding that
Airbnb was in productive
discussions with the SA
government to help hosts
share their homes, follow
the rules and pay their fair
share of tax.
An Airbnb host in
Durban denied that those
offering their homes on
the platform were getting
special treatment and told
TNW that any income she
received from Airbnb was
taxed as she was paid from
overseas. She added that
business was declining for
many, and Airbnb was the
scapegoat.
“We recognise that Airbnb
is here to stay, but there
is chaos in the industry
that government must now
regulate,” said Tshifhiwa.
The Airbnb host
acknowledged that the
platform was cutting into
the business of hotels and
bed-and-breakfasts, but
added that it had enabled
people who had never
had an opportunity to go
on holiday, to do so more
cheaply.
Government intervention
in Airbnb operations is not
unprecedented, with cities
like Barcelona and New
York introducing regulations
that require hosts to be
licensed with the city or
face substantial fines.
