Cape Town - Airbnb has welcomed the approval of the City of Cape Town’s by-law making it easier to convert private homes into Airbnb places.
Country manager for sub-Saharan Africa Velma Corcoran said: “Airbnb believes the proposed rules are right for Cape Town and show the city’s progressive attitude. Positive results can be achieved when policymakers and Airbnb work together on the shared goals of making cities better places to live, work and visit.”
In October the City passed amendments to the municipal planning by-laws to make it easier for home-owners to be part of the home sharing economy. The proposals allowed for short-term letting from a house or flat for a period not exceeding 30 conse-
cutive days for the same guest/traveller. This by-law will soon be promulgated in the provincial gazette.
According to Airbnb, “home sharing continues to bring a wealth of benefits to the local economy”.
Recently released data by Airbnb showed that more than 2 million guests had stayed in homes listed on Airbnb in South Africa since 2008; in 2018 alone, the estimated direct economic impact of Airbnb in the country was more than R8.7billion and the company has supported the equivalent of 22000 jobs across South Africa.
Corcoran said: “These figures demonstrate how home sharing
can help create economic opportunities.”
Mayco member for economic opportunities James Vos said: “Recently, the City of Cape Town’s Draft Tourism Development Framework was adopted by council. This framework fits perfectly with the impressive work done by Airbnb in Cape Town.”
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