Social consequences of airbnb – a New Zealand case study of cause and effect

Abstract

This study of impacts of Airbnb in a small coastal town in New Zealand was initiated by a need to create housing for those displaced during the summer. The research involved a survey of approximately one-quarter of the households and detailed interviews with 25 local respondents. It was found that approximately 17% of households experienced household stress due to housing costs. However, it was concluded that the impact of Airbnb, while highly visible, is a symptom of wider social factors than simply being a cause of immediate in housing usage and impacting hotel occupancy rates. Context is important in terms of communal ties and residents’ senses of place as short-term occupancy of property becomes a norm. The wider housing market is a determinant of rents and differences between seasonal daily rents derived from tourists and those paid by more stable renters. The de-industrialisation of cities for gentrification has become the de-urbanisation of leisure and a desire for landscape rich destinations, made easier by physical accessibility by transport and informational accessibility through the internet. It is also the outcome of political processes.

Keywords:

• Tourism
• Airbnb
• housing
• coastal community
• mixed methods
• thematic analysis
• New Zealand

Acknowledgements

The research was undertaken within the United Nations World Tourism Organization's programme of the International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories. The research was funded by funds from the Waingaroa Raglan Accommodation Project, The WEL Energy Trust and the University of Waikato Summer Research Programme for students.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by WRAP Project (Raglan);University of Waikato Summer Scholarship.