Mapping the operation of Airbnb in Sri Lankan cities

Abstract

Airbnb is most famous as a part of the growing "sharing", "peer-to-peer", or "digital" economy where the platform transformed the traditional tourist accommodation services through its novel business model. In order to comprehend the influence of Airbnb on the tourism and hospitality landscape, it is critical first to understand the market and how Airbnb operates. Therefore, in this study, we explore the operation of Airbnb in Sri Lanka using descriptive statistics and maps by analysing the scrapped data of the Airbnb website. The study results show that Airbnb has been well established on Sri Lankan soil as an alternative accommodation service provider, and the listings have been scattered across the country. However, most listings tend to concentrate in the city centres of famous touristic districts and tourist resort regions in Sri Lanka. These findings will provide a valuable avenue for further investigation of the operation of Airbnb in Sri Lanka.

Regulation of peer-to-peer tourist accommodation services: lessons from Asia pacific countries for Sri Lanka

“…As per the SLTDA statistics, there are only 1,367 registered tourist accommodation service providers (Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, 2020). However, there are around 26,162 registered Airbnb listings in Sri Lanka (Munasinghe et al, 2022b). The number of Airbnb Listings is higher than the number of SLTDA registered tourist accommodation establishments in every district of Sri Lanka (Munasinghe et al, 2022b).…”

“…However, there are around 26,162 registered Airbnb listings in Sri Lanka (Munasinghe et al, 2022b). The number of Airbnb Listings is higher than the number of SLTDA registered tourist accommodation establishments in every district of Sri Lanka (Munasinghe et al, 2022b). The establishments that provide accommodation for tourists in Sri Lanka can be divided into three broad categories: "Tourist Hotels, Supplementary Establishments, and Other Establishments" (Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, 2020).…”

“…However, SLTDA has already recognized peer-to-peer accommodations offered through Airbnb under supplementary establishments. For example, in Sri Lanka, most Airbnb rentals are "Private Room" rentals, and there are a significant number of "Shared Room" rentals (Munasinghe et al, 2022b). The guest shares the accommodation space with the host and host's family in both above listing types.…”

“…For example, only 548 homestay units have been registered under SLTDA (Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, 2020). However, there are around 16,830 combined Private and Shared Room listings on the Airbnb Platform (Munasinghe et al, 2022b). A separate study by authors interviewed Airbnb hosts and found that hosts are reluctant to get registered under SLTDA due to unawareness and lack of enforcement of regulations by the SLTDA (Munasinghe et al, 2022a).…”

Peer-to-Peer Accommodation User Experience: Evidence From Sri Lanka

“…The only exception is in the case of entire place rentals where the host is not present on the property during the stay. Most Airbnb listings in Sri Lanka are private room rentals, and there are a significant amount of shared room rentals (Munasinghe et al, 2022). Therefore, in most reviews, the concept of ''family'' can be seen quite frequently and positively.…”