When Tech Meets Community Tourism = Why Airbnb is doing so well in Jamaica

The Jamaican newspapers broke the news last year, that Jamaican hosts had made US$2.4M from 4,000 listings on Airbnb in 2017. They outed what was quietly and happily developing with lots of help from Airbnb how to and testimonial videos and apparently zero help from the Jamaica Tourist Board ( they’re going to kill me for this, lol). It was an official announcement of sorts, that showed clear evidence that Tech had merged with Jamaican Community Tourism, the playing field had been levelled and the sector was now finally more inclusive, on both the business and consumer sides.

This is a perfect example of when tech enters to innovate and disrupts an industry, and makes it better. It shows the industry’s inefficiencies and the fresh possibilities by both reflecting and facilitating the changes in local and global travel trends.

Airbnb is the online marketplace and hospitality service, for people to lease or rent short-term lodging and it has been redefining global tourism for the past decade. It has touched down on the 144 square mile global brand powerhouse that is Jamaica, and has irrevocably change the local tourism game and with it, hyper local economies.

It is allowing Jamaica to further diversify its tourism product, from the all-inclusive and Europeans/LatinAmerican spawned ‘dorm rooms by the sea’ type hotels. It has helped to put the employment and travel dollar power back into local communities and is helping to make community-based attractions, accommodations and experiences thrive-from the bottom, up. It has flipped the funnel, so no more trickle-down tourism dollar mechanics here. And frankly I LOVE It.

What Airbnb’s global trajectory and continued success in tourism countries like Jamaica does, is to show us the local and global trends it matches and facilitates. You see, technology and the global traveller profile has changed so much these pas years-what it means to travel, work and explore this world is being redefined even as we speak.

Here are a few trends local and global that I’ve observed and read out, that are making things happen differently now and will continue to do so, for a long time.

Local trends

Travellers are seeking unique, immersive, purpose-filled experiences

Travellers want adventure. unplugged experiences

The Rise of the Tech enabled local tour guide.

Travellers want more of our organic local food and drink and want to learn how to make it.

LGTBTQ travellers are being courted and hosted by a growing number of tour guides, hosts catering specifically to this sector outside of the mainstream brands such as Round hill, Geejam and Jake’s Hotel.

Weed has been set free in Jamaica. Decriminalised. There is a Cannabis Authority and a massive land grab for growing, processing and setting up shop. So pretty much, the weed dealer has just gone upscale and accessories more diverse under the banner of “ medical marijuana” . So welcome the rise of the Cannabis cafes, dispensaries  and the products they sell. Also welcome the Cannabis tours and smoke houses.

Global Trends

Travel is now social and mobile. Through internet platforms such as Airbnb, Instagram and you tube, it has opened up our eyes to new place to go to.

Travellers are seeking unique, immersive, purpose-filled experiences

Travellers want adventure and unplugged experiences.

Travellers want authenticity and real connection in the people, places and experiences of the destinations they choose to visit.

Spaces that cater to their digital nomadism — have wifi and work anywhere and for a while. Digital Nomads are seeing places to live and work for months at a time. Hello Co-working and Co-living spaces and programmes.

Traveling with a Tribe – Girl Groups, Millennials and Black people lead this trend

And Then Some Numbers For You.

70% of Global travellers their travel decisions onlineThe Numbers

Currently, there are now 5,900 Airbnb listings in Jamaica up from 4,000 last year, with the average earnings for a host on the island is $2,500 USD per year. The Visitor usage of the platform  is also seeing the most significant increase, from 32,000 in 2016 to 59,500 in the last 12 months.

This is very encouraging as Airbnb in Jamaica is still relatively new. So there is a lot of room to grow,  especially with a lot of emphasis being put on the capital of Kingston which is our music, culture and sports mecca.

No New Taxes Necessary

So thankfully, the Jamaican government has no plans at this time to tax Jamaican hosts, and quite frankly, if they did, it would be highly hypocritical, since they give the big guy tourism brands and international brands, massive tax and other incentives to set up shop here.

So I applaud their vision, restraint and political will for doing this. Let’s keep it this way.

Let he money circulate in those hyper local communities and let the micro-businesses and self-employment opportunities grow. Plus, they are not losing anything really, as about 90 per cent of all of that hyper local money, is spent on things that carry GCT (General Consumption Tax) which is 16.5 per cent off of the gross.

So I’m all for letting the goose get even fatter.