Businesses in the tourism sector back controversial ‘Airbnb bill’
Council CEO says proposed regulations are about levelling the playing field
Businesses that stand to benefit from the government’s plans to regulate short-term home rentals, including those on the popular online platform Airbnb, have backed its proposed regulations saying it would help level the playing field. While Airbnb initially focuses on small-scale, informal short-term home rentals, formal accommodation establishments such as hotels and B&Bs can also list on the popular platform. Airbnb has been expanding its offering to add extra search categories for users who are specifically looking to rent a hotel room, B&B or luxury properties as it moves towards a full-service travel-booking company.
In April, the government published the Tourism Amendment Bill for public comment. Should it come into law, short-term home rentals will be regulated under the Tourism Act and the minister of tourism could then specify various “thresholds” in terms of Airbnb rentals in SA. This could include limiting the number of nights that guests can stay and how ...
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