11 Airbnb and events – before, during and after COVID-19
11 Airbnb and events – before, during and after COVID-19
Sheranne Fairley, Department of Tourism, UQ Business School, The University of Queensland, Australia
Sarah MacInnes, Department of Tourism, UQ Business School, The University of Queensland, Australia
Sara Dolnicar, Department of Tourism, UQ Business School, The University of Queensland, Australia
Please cite as: Fairley, S., MacInnes, S. and Dolnicar, S. (2021) Airbnb and events – before, during and after COVID-19, in S. Dolnicar (Ed.) Airbnb before, during and after COVID-19, University of Queensland DOI: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.14204558
The importance of events for destinations
The term event is defined as “anything that happens, especially something important or unusual” (Cambridge Dictionary, 2021). While this definition appears to be rather vague, it is this very vagueness that highlights the substantial heterogeneity in what constitutes an event. At the extreme end is a mega-event, a large global event that is planned many years in advance and has a profound impact on the destination where it takes place, such as the Olympic Games. But only few such events exist, and most destinations are unlikely to ever attract such an event. More common are smaller events, which can include dance, music or sport competitions for children and adults, concerts, food festivals and cultural festivals. While smaller in scale, such events still have substantial potential to benefit the destination. Sporting events involving a series of competitions or games across an entire season, for example, attract fans who follow their teams (Fairley, 2003) – these events have the potential to bring tourism activity to destinations. Arguably, such events may be more advantageous to destinations as they take place in existing infrastructure and bring revenue to the lodging industry (Dermody et al., 2003). In addition, sport events, fairs, exhibitions and conferences also represent excellent reasons for people to attend a destination outside of the peak tourist season (Getz & Page, 2016).
The benefits to destinations are twofold: some are realised immediately and directly, others come to fruition only in the longer-term and are indirect in nature.
Immediate direct benefits include the increase of tourist visitation at the time of the event. Such an increase of tourist visitation is particularly beneficial if it occurs outside of the peak season (Getz et al., 1998; Higham, 1999; Higham & Hinch, 2002). Increased tourist visitation results in heightened tourism revenue through greater visitor spending, and provides opportunities for local businesses to leverage events to their benefit. The most obvious beneficiaries are accommodation providers (Mules, 1988). With demand for accommodation increasing sharply during events, accommodation providers are in the position to charge higher nightly rates. Accommodation providers located close to the event venue are in a particularly favourable position in terms of bein