Airbnb continues to increase globally and in T&T significant growth has been experienced over the last seven years, with Tobago gaining increased popularity.
Akilah Procope, an independent research consultant, told the Business Guardian that publicly available data from AirDNA (a vacation rental research source) has indicated that T&T’s Airbnb room stock stood at 4,000 at the beginning of this year.
For active rentals, however, properties that have had at least one reservation or available day in the month prior are about half of that.
Short-term rental owners primarily make their listings available on a part-time basis she noted, adding that about one in three listings are available for a minimum of 181 days in the year.
Procope further noted that although Tobago’s population is about five per cent of Trinidad’s (CSO’s 2011 census) and tourist arrivals to the island are roughly five per cent of total arrivals to T&T (CSO Tourism statistics), Tobago’s share of Airbnb room stock is a whopping 48 per cent of all short-term stays on both islands.
“This indicates a response to the extremely strong demand for home-like stays in the domestic tourism market in Tobago,” she explained.
Regarding types of properties, Procope further noted that urban areas tend to have a higher concentration of ‘private rooms’ available when compared with rural areas.
About one in three Airbnb rentals, she said are private rooms where guests have a bedroom and share the other rental spaces with others.
“One, two and three bedrooms are the most common in T&T, with urban areas like Port-of-Spain, San Juan-Laventille, Tunapuna-Piarco and Chaguanas holding a higher proportion of one-bedroom listings, which represent these sub-markets response to the demand in these areas,” Procope said.
According to AirDNA, T&T’s Airbnb rental growth is 19 per cent on average, with San Fernando leading in growth.
Guest reviews and ratings on Airbnb listings in T&T are highly positive, indicating high-quality stock on both islands.
About 73 per cent of guests who stay in a local Airbnb gave a rating of at least 4.5.
In the case of Port-of-Spain, 83 per cent of guests provided a rating of at least 4.5.
Port-of-Spain’s average rating currently stands at 4.78 out of a maximum score of five.
Airbnb community leaders also shared some of their perspectives with the Business Guardian.
The position of community leader is posted on Airbnb’s website and, once selected, the potential community leader is interviewed.
If successful, that person also has to sign a confidentiality agreement.
Tenisha Brown-Williams, who has been the community leader for T&T since February 2022 and has been an Airbnb host since 2017, said her first apartment was in D’abadie.
She noted this received mainly international visitors such as sports tourists who came for tournaments at the National Racquet Sport Centre.
Brown-Williams also received many in-transit passengers who needed to overnight to catch a flight the following day. Over time, bookings increased, with people from the diaspora market booking frequently and eco travellers, she said.
From 2018 into 2019, with the addition of another apartment and seven room listings (in the St Augustine area), she also had increased interest from locals wanting to engage in a staycation.
Additionally, Brown-Williams listed another apartment during the pandemic with bookings mainly from locals.
Now, she has a high percentage of repeat guests (25 per cent) and receives bookings, apart from Airbnb, via referrals. She has hosted guests from the Caribbean, North America, Europe, South and Central America, Australia and Africa with guests from the diaspora market coming mainly from New York.
Brown-Williams added that though all her listings are located in the east, she received bookings for Carnival at least six months in advance before the pandemic.
During the pandemic, she continued to receive local guests, many from Tobago.
Brown-Williams further shared that Airbnb offers insights to hosts to track their occupancy rate, cancellation rate, the average length of stay and average nightly rate, among other data points.
She noted that the average occupancy rate from April 2022 to April 2023 for her listings is 11.4 per cent, with 34 average nights booked, adding that the average occupancy rate for her listings is 3.3 per cent higher than similar listings in the area.
Among responsibilities as community leader is to serve as a conduit between Airbnb and the host community by sharing information from the international company and passing on feedback from hosts in T&T.
She also leads and moderates a local Facebook group managed by Airbnb.
The Facebook group, she said, is the central platform for the community, noting that it is a vital forum because when discussions are made Airbnb reviews it, takes notes of the issues/suggestions, and may make adjustments accordingly.
Brown-Williams said the T&T’s Airbnb host community Facebook group now has 250 plus members, which according to her, was the largest online community growth among Airbnb host clubs for the Caribbean in 2022.
She credited the increased interest in joining the club to the sessions the T&T hosting community has executed since 2022, noting there have been six meetings to date; four virtual on various topics, including price setting and interior designing and two in-person meetings for community members to be familiar with each other.
Brown-Williams added the focus for 2023 is to help members understand how to boost business on Airbnb by engaging experts to share basic business skills required for hosting.
Topics, such as price optimisation, enhancing guest experiences and guest safety and security, among others, will be discussed.
Brown-Williams, also a tourism professional with 20-plus years of experience, added she wants to realise T&T’s host community goal by establishing a vibrant community of learning, exchange, collaboration and partnership.
She added there are also discussions among community members to establish a short-term rental (STR) association by the end of 2023.
Regional community leaders also shared their experiences.
Leah Broomes who leads the Airbnb community in Barbados said her main objective as the host community leader is community tourism.
“I have found that Airbnb travellers are searching for a more authentic experience, and helping boost the local communities on my island is the ultimate goal,” she said, adding that the first plan is a clean-up campaign on that country’s east coast as part of International Coastal Clean-up Day on September 16.
Of the Facebook group, Broomes said this is an excellent initiative as it benefits those seeking knowledge from seasoned hosts plus, it helps hosts accelerate any predicaments they may encounter from time to time.
Jane Williams leads the host community in Grenada. She said after finding herself unemployed and with the encouragement of her children, she started her journey with Airbnb in 2018.
She added that she quickly realised that this was something she was passionate about doing.
“It allows me to liaise directly with the regional Airbnb manager and engage in activities with other leaders like myself around the globe and be privy to advanced information about upcoming Airbnb news and events,” Williams said.
She noted the Grenada Facebook host community has grown to almost 80 members, adding that listings for Grenada are currently in the range of about 300 to 400.
According to Williams, there is definitely potential to expand saying, “While it can be tedious to rein members in for meetups, these events have proven insightful and engaging. Our future goals for our community of leaders in Grenada are to be recognised as an important commodity within the tourism sector here in Grenada.”
Williams said she also wants to forge a relationship with that island’s tourism authority for the betterment of tourism as a whole for Grenada.