Despite Airbnb’s growth, hotels healthier than ever

A typical Malaysian host earns RM4,650 and guests spend money in the neighborhoods where they stay.

FMT LETTERS

By Mich Goh

We refer to your article “Why Airbnb is not part of the hospitality industry” published on Jan 24, 2018.

Malaysia is one of our fastest-growing markets in Asia and we continue to grow because tourists increasingly want new, adventurous and authentic experiences when they travel.

For them, Airbnb is the antidote to modern, mass-produced tourism, and our community allows them to live like a local in cities and neighbourhoods.

Despite Airbnb’s growth, hotels around the world are healthier than ever.

In fact, Airbnb is growing the tourism pie by making travel more accessible and affordable for more people than ever.

The majority of Airbnb hosts share the home in which they live — they are everyday people who open up their homes to travellers to earn a little extra income and pay the bills.

A typical Malaysian host earns US$1,200 (RM4,650) and because hosts keep 97% of the money they charge, that’s more revenue generated for local communities that do not typically benefit from tourism.

When our guests visit cities, they are more likely to spend money in the neighborhoods where they stay.

This helps distribute tourism spend to local businesses — restaurants, cafes and shops — that have not traditionally benefited from tourism and hospitality.

Airbnb has worked with hundreds of governments around the world to develop clear and sensible frameworks that support home sharing, while addressing local community needs.

We’ve had meaningful and productive conversations with the Malaysian authorities, who are excited by the prospect of home-sharing and the benefits the Airbnb platform is already bringing to local tourism.

With 1.5 million guest arrivals to Malaysia in the last year alone, Airbnb injected an incredible RM200 million into the Malaysian economy.

We believe home sharing is here to stay, and we look forward to continue working closely with the relevant authorities to craft laws — including rules around registration and tourism tax collection — and implement simple, clear and fair regulations that allow home-sharing to thrive to Malaysia’s short-term and long-term benefit.

Mich Goh, Airbnb head of public policy for Southeast Asia. -FMT