4 Ways to Attract Local Guests to Your Airbnb

If you’ve seen the recent headlines, you might be feeling down and out about Australia’s delay to reopen borders to international travellers. As glass-half-full kind of people, we are here to bring the good news — domestic travel is booming, and lockdowns are a thing of the past. Luckily for us, Australia's backyard is full of incredible places and experiences to enjoy by yourself or with family and friends.

If your Airbnb listings aren’t appealing to your locals during this wave of tourism, it's time to make a few tweaks. Here are 4 ways to make the most of Australia's domestic boom.

Highlight local experiences

We’ve found that after being locked down and indoors for so long, many locals are taking advantage of Australia’s vast and varied natural landscape by seeking something rural, regional or peaceful – and not necessarily the bustle of city life. With this in mind, you will want to make sure your listings highlight the very best of your property’s location. Is your property close to a beachfront oasis or a winter wonderland escape? Perhaps it is walking distance to a wine route or a hike through a natural park? Providing your guests with information about nearby sites and experiences will amplify the appeal of your property. Another way to show off your location is through a local guest guide. These digital or hardcover documents contain a detailed collection of recommended activities for guests to enjoy during their stay.

Appeal to remote workers

People are changing their lifestyles to accommodate a more flexible way of working and living. This means the demand for local short term rentals has never been stronger. With overseas travel not being an option, we have seen a rise in extended stays for remote workers. We expect this trend to continue as the domestic restrictions ease and international travel remains limited and somewhat unpredictable for the time being. Make your listings remote worker-friendly by:

• Providing high-speed wifi - a remote worker staple. A recent Airbnb platform update now makes it possible for users to search listings based on the wifi speed
• Providing a designated area and office chair for a home office.
• Thinking about how you can make your property family-friendly. This includes anything from providing games and activities for kids to ensuring your guest guide has plenty of local family attractions and things to do.

Promote your listings on social media

Social media can be daunting but it remains one of the best – and fastest - ways to promote your listings. Social media allows you to showcase your personality through engaging posts whilst building up an audience of like-minded people and potential new guests. We suggest posting past reviews or guest testimonials, and encouraging guests to share their own photos of experiences they have had in your property. Try and use only high-quality photos of your listing and its features and make use of location tagging and hashtags to make your posts traceable. It is also worthwhile to join relevant local community Facebook groups that allow advertising, in order to truly engage with your audience.

Offer discounts or package deals

Offering guests special promotions or packages is an effective way to draw attention to your property and appeal to a wider variety of travellers. A few ways to do this include:

• Going pet-friendly as locals like to travel with their pet companions (some pet-friendly listings are commanding a 30% premium)
• Promote a late checkout on Mondays to encourage guests to stay an extra day
• Offer 7-night stay discounts and/or monthly discounts to encourage guests to stay longer

If you’re feeling disheartened by the state of the world, remember that local tourism is rising and now is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of this boom. For more insight and support about Airbnb property management and how to scale during these times, get in touch - we love to chat.