Brighton professor appointed as independent adviser on Airbnb task force

Professor Marina Novelli, Professor of Tourism and International Development and Academic Lead for the university’s Responsible Futures Research and Enterprise Agenda, will be coordinating the research process and collaborating with consultants BritainThinks for Airbnb’s registration roadshow consultations.

Professor Novelli, who has worked in policy development for a number of years, said:  “Airbnb have a desire to develop their relationships with local communities and work with government, policy makers and city leaders to develop a host registration system that is accessible and effective. This project allows us to explore all the options available.”

Airbnb is promoting the registration initiative with a roadshow tour aimed at “forging collaborations with hosts, communities and politicians across the UK to jointly develop proposals for a clear, modern and simple registration system for short-term rentals”.

Professor Marina Novelli

Chris Lehane, Senior Vice President of Global Policy and Communications at Airbnb, said: “The UK is a fantastic destination with hosts in more than 2700 cities, towns and villages welcoming guests from within the UK and around the world into their communities. At Airbnb, we want to serve and strengthen local communities by driving our people-to-people model of sustainable tourism right across the country. That’s why we’re also looking forward to kicking off our roadshow to meet with communities and stakeholders around the country to discuss our proposals for a national registration system.” 

During February and March roundtable consultations will be held to discuss the registration across the country, starting in Brighton. The consultation process will culminate in an Airbnb policy presentation to the Government.

Airbnb’s plans coincide with the release of their new data revealing that more than 10 million guests used the platform around the UK during 2018.