South Africa’s Department of Tourism has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbnb to help the sustained recovery of the country's tourism sector and develop inclusive tourism.
Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille said that by leveraging Airbnb's global reach and market knowledge, the partnership aims to positively benefit local communities, travellers, and the tourism industry as a whole.
"As government, if we want to significantly grow tourism and its contribution to the economy and job creation, collaboration with the private sector is vital,” she said.
“We are delighted to be the first African Ministry of Tourism to sign a collaborative MoU with a successful global company such as Airbnb."
De Lille said there is little information about the unregulated short-term rental subsector, which hinders the ability to make informed policy decisions.
“Access to the Airbnb data can only assist in informing better decisions,” she said.
Airbnb's regional lead for the Middle East and Africa, Velma Corcoran said they welcome the opportunity to collaborate with the department on the development of a clear, proportionate national framework for the regulation of short-term rentals.
“We welcome the opportunity to work with the department to develop a clear, proportionate national framework for the regulation of short-term rentals and see huge power in public and private sector collaborations,” she said.
“We also know from our work with the Airbnb Entrepreneurship Academy, that together, we can make a tangible difference and enable more people, in more places, to benefit from tourism.”
As part of the MoU, the parties will have frequent dialogues to explore prospects for strategic collaboration on developing inclusive tourism and ensuring fair and appropriate regulation of short-term rentals.
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