Airbnb, Booking.com and Expedia sign post-Brexit deal to share guest data with ONS
Airbnb, Booking.com and Expedia have struck a post-Brexit partnership to share guests’ data with the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The major short-term letting platforms will hand over anonymised data on the number of guests and the nights booked to the ONS on a quarterly basis.
It is expected that the data sharing will provide reliable evidence to help policymakers arrive at informed decisions on short-term accommodation.
The Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA) has smoothed the way for the post-Brexit agreement.
Director of research at the STAA, Louise Birritteri, said: “We expect this data to illustrate the positive impact that short-term lets bring to the UK tourism economy, while also empowering public authorities with the insights they need to make informed, data-driven policy decisions, ensuring a balanced approach that benefits both local communities and the broader economy.”
The ONS, which is responsible for producing official statistics in the UK, will first publish the data next Spring.
Amanda Cupples, Northern Europe general manager at Airbnb, said the data will “be a vital resource for authorities at all levels to better understand short-term letting activity in their communities, and capture the positive benefits of tourism.”
It comes ahead of the government’s upcoming response to consultations on new regulations for short-term lets in England.