MOST properties offered under the vacation rental platform Airbnb have expanded to the Philippine countryside.
In an e-mail to the BusinessMirror, Airbnb global co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer Nate Blecharczyk said they were grateful that their Filipino hosts have stayed with them during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“What we have seen over the last year is that the platform is incredibly resilient when it comes to supply and we see three trends,” he said, such as New Hosts usually “[follow] where guests are going—in this case, the number of listings in rural markets has grown, in part because that is where more people are going.”
He added, with the gradual reopening of several leisure destinations, “Traffic to Airbnb from prospective hosts has shot up.” Also, as more travelers travel interzonally and large social events are permitted, “Our past experience has indicated that this will generate new active Hosts.”
Blecharczyk stressed, “Given the financial challenges facing the world, we know Airbnb is providing critical economics to our existing hosts and we know that with this historic travel rebound, it will be a powerful incentive for others to join our community as vaccination rates increase, markets open up and cross border travel returns in time.”
Guests have supported tourism jobs
In a news statement, Airbnb also said it supports the Philippine government’s initiatives to boost the national economy during the pandemic, by driving the recovery of tourism. According to the Department of Tourism (DOT), close to 99 percent of tourism enterprises are composed of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
A survey of Airbnb from February 1, 2021 to March 3, 2021 of Homes hosts who hosted a trip during 2020, or Homes guests who took a trip in 2020, showed that Hosting is an economic lifeline for thousands of Filipinos on our platform. The survey showed 57 percent of Airbnb Hosts said the income they’ve earned through hosting has helped them to stay in their homes, and over half want to find more ways to host with Airbnb.
“While the short-term rental industry is a fairly new phenomenon in the Philippines, it is already playing a key role in helping to create a more diverse and resilient tourism sector, while also fostering entrepreneurship and supporting jobs across the nation. Importantly, Hosts on Airbnb are committed to helping to accelerate the recovery of the broader tourism industry when travel returns. Over a third of Filipino Airbnb Hosts share recommendations with guests on their favorite local restaurants and businesses within their community,” said the company.
Research by the Oxford Economics estimated that, in 2019, Airbnb guests visiting Manila spent an estimated $257 million and directly supported almost 16,000 jobs.
More properties up for accreditation
The company also predicts more Host properties in the Philippines will be accredited by DOT. The company said, “We support the DOT’s efforts on the accreditation of tourism establishments, and have been working closely with the DOT to encourage and equip Hosts to apply for relevant accreditation online via the DOT’s Online Accreditation System.”
Houses, condominium units, and other lodgings being offered for lease under Airbnb are accredited by the DOT as either Mabuhay accommodations or Homestays. As of April 30, 2021, the DOT has accredited 4,201 Mabuhay accommodations and 172 Homestays. Even if all of these are Airbnbs, these are just 11 percent of the 39,000 total Airbnb listings in the country. (See, “Less than 11% of total Airbnbs in the PHL are DOT-accredited,” in the BusinessMirror, May 30, 2021.)
Mabuhay accommodations refer to tourist inns, pension houses, motels, bed and breakfasts, guest houses, hostels, and other similar accommodation establishments.