BRIDGETOWN, Barbados--The approximately 1,100 Airbnb hosts in Barbados now have a voice to fight on their behalf for “fair” and “positive” legislation.
Founder of the Barbados Entrepreneurship and Tourism Association (BETA) Neeraj Vensimal said that organisation, which was officially formed at the end of March, would be stepping forward to give its input on any legislation that would impact the home-sharing programme operators here.
Local hotel operators have been calling for tighter controls on the unregistered accommodation sector, including the increasingly lucrative Airbnb, saying they stood to “water down” the Barbados tourism product.
The Barbados Tourism Product Authority (BTPA) has since confirmed that new guidelines are being drafted to include regulation of the short-term rental programmes with a view to ensuring that the entire accommodation sector meets all minimum international standards.
However, as representatives of BETA prepared to meet with BTPA officials on Monday to put the association’s position on the table, Vensimal argued that any new regulation should take into consideration the performance of the overall housing market on the island.
As for the vexed issue of taxation, he said a proper assessment should first be carried out before any new levy was applied.
“Another thing we need to consider, these are private listings with each host earning only about US $5,000 in annual income,” he said, while making it clear that the grouping was not looking for any concessions.
Vensimal said the organisation was seeking to help create an enabling environment for Airbnb and other hosts.
“The reason we represent them is because they don’t have a platform or voice to get their message out. But that is not the main reason we represent them. The main reason we represent them is because we all believe in the slogan, ‘Tourism is our business, let’s play our part’ and in our national motto Pride and Industry,” he said. (Barbados Today) ~ Caribbean360 ~
