
Tourism Minister Charles ‘Max’ Fernandez said there has been an increase in the number of vacation rental bookings as the country welcomes an uptick in visitor arrivals.
But the trend for Airbnbs and private accommodation has translated to a slump in hotel occupancy.
The latest statistics from the Hotels and Tourism Association indicated a 25 percent increase in visitor arrivals this year so far, compared to 2019.
However, the hotel occupancy rate in August averaged only 62.2 percent, slightly lower than the 64.5 percent recorded in August 2019.
“We have seen an uptick in terms of people staying in the Airbnb and these villa-type properties. The problem is not that people are not coming, the issue is that people are choosing to stay in these villas, and especially in the summer where the prices are more competitive.
“But you add in the fact that traditionally a number of hotel properties are closed during the summer and a number of airlines reduce their travel which mean the prices come up, so if you are looking for the best bang for your buck, if you have to spend more on travel, then you want to spend less on accommodation,” he said.
The Tourism Minister said that Airbnb properties have been dominating the market since the start of the Covid pandemic.
“A lot of trends have changed and that is one of those that have been changed; there are a lot more properties coming on the market for Airbnb-type stayovers,” he said.
The Airbnb website lists over 1,000 properties in Antigua on its platform.
In 2020, the government passed legislation to make short-term rental properties in Antigua and Barbuda subject to 14 percent ABST.
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky recently announced a series of changes to property listing and other improvements to the platform to improve affordability and customer service.