TAA peeved at Jetstar for Airbnb deal

TAA peeved at Jetstar for Airbnb deal
By Hannah Edensor


Yesterday saw Jetstar and Airbnb tie the knot and give customers the chance to book Airbnb’s alongside their flights, but one hotel body isn’t happy.

Jetstar is the first low cost carrier worldwide to partner with the accommodation sharing company, following in Qantas’ footsteps after they announced passengers would nab Frequent Flyer points when they booked Airbnb through Qantas.

The Aussie accommodation rep body, Tourism Accommodation Australia (TAA), wasn’t happy about this move either, claiming, “Qantas should understand the importance of working with partners who fully support and contribute to the tourism industry and meet all their regulatory requirements.”

To mark the occasion, Jetstar passengers will score a $25 Jetstar voucher with Airbnb bookings over $250 until June 4 2017. Customers will need to access Airbnb via Jetstar’s homepage to snag the special.

But not everyone’s happy about the partnership, which sees an overlap in traditional travel and the new sharing economy.

And now TAA has again become sorely disappointed with the move, maintaining their disdain for the “unregulated” business.

“Hotels, motels and serviced accommodation operators have been great supporters of Jetstar since it launched in Australia and we actively partner with them in providing holiday packages as well as accommodation for their crews, so it was disappointing that they would sign with an unregulated short-term accommodation operator such as Airbnb,” said TAA CEO, Carol Giuseppi.

“While we have no issues with genuine ‘sharing’, the sector has become increasingly dominated by commercial operators with multiple properties that involve no sharing. They contribute little to taxes or jobs, and bypass many health, safety and development regulations.

“That’s why so many cities around the world are moving towards greater regulation of accommodation listings with Airbnb.

“In many states up to one third of these listings are operating in the commercial space without meeting the same regulatory requirements that hotels, motels and serviced apartments have to meet.”

Meanwhile, Jetstar Group CEO Jayne Hrdlicka insists “more and more Jetstar customers are choosing to stay at Airbnb properties”, in particular around Australia, NZ and Asia.

“Airbnb has changed the way a large number of Australians travel in the last few years, particularly Jetstar customers travelling on holidays,” she said.

Interestingly, it comes as new stats from Galaxy Research shows Aussie families are keen on more ‘home-y’ accommodation.

  • 91% of people are considering booking a homestay accommodation for their next extended family holiday
  • 88% of Aussie parents say they miss home comforts while staying in a hotel, such as being able to cook and do laundry
  • 90% of parents admit booking for an extended family holiday is stressful as they struggle to find accommodation suitable for the whole family that also meets everyone’s budget
  • 60% of families plan to jet off with extended family or friends this year, with grandparents (33%) most likely to score an invite, especially from young parents
  • Making the holiday budget go further is also key, with 79% of Aussies stating value for money is the most important consideration when booking their trip

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