City eyes support for home-stays

• Source: https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1747009/Davao/Business/City-eyes-support-for-home-stays
• Friday, June 8, 2018

(JPA)

THE City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) looks at the possibility of establishing and supporting home-stay accommodation facilities in Davao City as more tourists are expected to arrive this Kadayawan Festival.

This August, especially this Kadayawan Festival, CTOO said hotels and accommodation facilities in Davao City can accommodate a little more than 200,000 tourists.

CTOO head Generose Tecson said during Kadayawan 2017 there were about 188,000 tourist arrivals based on the hotel and accommodation facilities occupancies. However, just for the month of April 2018, the city was able to accommodate 216,000 tourists. With this, Tecson is confident that the city will also be able to accommodate same number of arrivals this coming Kadayawan.

Aside from the existing hotels, inns, and pension houses that the city already has, Tecson also said they are looking into the possibility of nurturing home-stay and AirBnB accommodation facilities to somehow augment the gap on the accommodation needs of the city.

“For those who would want to use their houses, apartments, or condominium units as AirBnB units, we encourage them to get business permits and to follow proper procedures as we, ourselves, are actually very strict with our hotels here,” said Tecson.

She added ensuring business permits can help CTOO better promote these facilities and this would also be vital to the security of the tourists as well.

Earlier this year, Committee Chair on Tourism and Beautification Councilor Al Ryan Alejandre proposed a separate ordinance for owners of condominium units and houses registered to AirBnB and other self-styled home accommodations to pay proper taxes, secure business permits, and submit to the city’s regulatory laws. The proposed ordinance made it to the second reading.

“We have guidelines in the tourism code about home-stay. They should have their own rooms and other basic amenities that should be there. But we will check [the home-stay aspect]. I think it’s a very big industry,” said Tecson.

Although they are open to the possibility of home-stay accommodations in the city, she said they will also be careful with the implementation. She cited that a popular condominium urban residence in Manila City that ventured into AirBnB currently faces problem and complaints from the regular residents. The residents had been complaining that they can no longer use the amenities like pools because there are many AirBnB tourists using it instead. The condominium’s cleanliness had since been difficult to maintain as well.

“We have to be careful with this. The condos should also look at their respective set of guidelines concerning their residents. They should check if indeed subletting is allowed and okay in their guidelines,” said Tecson.