Destinations Can Benefit from Stay at Home Workers

With the rise of alternative rental solutions, like Airbnb, it feels calls for low cost rentals that embrace remote work are slowly dying down: if only because these needs are being met. Airbnb recognises that communities can benefit from the rise of remote workers, if not just economically. 

Policy makers once had to fight for the attraction of entire companies and industries, but now destination marketers and even governments are acknowledging the potential of people who work remotely. But how to ensure that these benefits are felt by the community?

Nathan Blecharczyk, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Airbnb, has a theory. “The best approach is one that not only attracts remote workers, but also integrates them into communities so that all residents can benefit from this rising trend.”

Since the pandemic, remote work has risen predictably. This trend has also surged on the Airbnb platform, with many guests opting to work and live in one location for a period of time. Long term stays (28 days or longer) continue to be Airbnb’s most popular category. 

Remote workers promote a boost in the tourist industry, including socioeconomic morale that will benefit host communities. In 2021, Tulsa’s remote worker incentive programgenerated nearly $20 million, with every dollar spent on an incentive program that resulted in new induced labour income worldwide. 

To reap these benefits, some key takeaways include

? Improving visa processes and streamlining tax compliance 

? Encouraging remote workers to support local businesses

? Immersing remote workers and their families into host neighbourhoods

The remote work revolution, as it has been labelled, holds promise for small cities and even rural areas. Since the beginning of Covid, globally more than 8,100 cities and towns have received their first-ever Airbnb bookings – including over 1,300 in the US. This continues to both push the idea of remote working and to enhance the experience of those already within remote work. Dedicated remote hubs from Airbnb in the US include Tampa Bay and Tulsa, but expansion is also set for Austria, Thailand, Cape Town and Italy. 

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