The Impact of Airbnb on Western Australia’s Tourism Industry and Economy

A BCEC workshop held on the 19th of September featured a presentation of preliminary findings from a BCEC-funded project led by Associate Professor Christof Pforr (Curtin University) and co-investigator Dr Michael Volgger (European Academy Bolzano, Italy) on the Impact of Airbnb on Western Australia’s Tourism Industry and Economy.

The rapid growth of the sharing economy in recent years has challenged traditional economies in many countries around the globe. Airbnb is an online platform that enables people to list, find and book accommodations worldwide with more than 1.5 million listings in more than 190 countries.

Many consider Airbnb as one of the most disruptive developments in tourism over the past decade.

The workshop explored the main characteristics of Airbnb in Western Australia as well as its growth and impact of the Airbnb phenomenon.

Diverse and influential speakers were sought for the workshop – a panel of key stakeholders from industry and government, to discuss potential implications of this research, followed by a Q&A session.

The panel included Evan Hall, Chief Executive Officer, Tourism Council WA; Pip Close, Chief Executive Officer, Margaret River Busselton Tourism Association; Bradley Woods, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Hotel Association WA; Honourable Alyssa Hayden MLA, Member for East Metropolitan Region, Liberal Party and Kylie Coulson, Assistant Director, WA Department of Treasury.