Call for Airbnb to be regulated

The Tourism Business Council of SA (TBCSA) has called on the government to regulate Airbnb because a Cape Argus report says it is threatening the viability of conventional lodging providers such as hotels, and could lead to job losses. ‘Various other organisations in our industry have called for the same thing,’ said the TBCSA’s Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa. ‘What we need to make clear is that this is not about the technology, but if we are going to allow people to advertise their homes and play in this field, we are going to have to follow some sort of guidelines,’ he said. ‘The question is, how do you continue to afford your businesses when we have unregulated Airbnbs making money, making it no longer viable for hotels or lodges to continue, which leads to cost-cutting?’

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