Airbnb boom offers opportunity for job creation

With the country recording 29 per cent of all visitors who came to Jamaica in 2023 staying at Airbnbs, Norman Dunn, state minister in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, believes there is room for much improvement in the creation of jobs this year.

While speaking at the launch of Courts’ 65th anniversary celebrations, which took place at the furniture and appliance store’s head office along Oxford Road, Dunn last Wednesday, built on the information presented by Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett during the opening of the 2024-2025 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives a day earlier.

Data has indicated that, last year, Airbnbs in Jamaica generated an estimated $31.8 billion in gross earnings from 1.3 million guest nights.

“It is a new dynamic business model that is revolutionising the accommodation subsector and is generating income and resources to the ordinary people across the length and breadth of Jamaica,” Bartlett had said on Tuesday.

In riding on the wave, Dunn said he wanted persons to know that Airbnb is the way forward for Jamaica to create more jobs and income through tourism, and stores - such as Courts which was launching its list of anniversary events in recognition of its 65 years in Jamaica - have benefited tremendously from furniture and appliance sales for these Airbnb locations islandwide.

“I want persons to understand that the Jamaica we’re building is the Jamaica for all; is inclusive Jamaica and the growth is an inclusive growth. You would have seen all of the physical infrastructural work going on across the country, whether we’re building highways, bridges, etc. It’s happening right before your eyes and, 65 years ago, I’m not sure what happened, and you have persons 65 years ago saying it was the best times of their lives. I know, for me, [now] it’s the best time of my life, because I’m seeing all these things happening right before my own eyes, including the birth of Airbnb, which is now a significant part of what you do,” Dunn said.

“So, if we didn’t have a strong and growing economy, developers would not see the benefit of investing, and Courts [for example] would not see the benefits of selling items to these developers, home owners, etc,” he said.

Errol Le Blanc, vice president, Unicomer Caribbean – owners of Courts – who was a tourist himself visiting Jamaica for the launch event, said the company would be re-opening its St Ann’s Bay store in Drax Hall, St Ann, a north coast area where Airbnbs are known to be booming on the island.

“This new store is very strategically located to serve a very vibrant tourism zone on the north coast, catering to customers who have homes, villas and the new kid in town, the Airbnbs, to be furnished,” Le Blanc said.

“This expansion into Drax Hall represents our commitment to innovation and growth, as we aim to meet the evolving needs of our customers and provide them with a seamless and convenient shopping experience,” he said.

On May 15, Courts will celebrate its 65th anniversary of operations and sales in Jamaica after starting operations at its Cross Roads branch. The celebratory activities will start with church services on Sunday at various churches islandwide.

As part of the celebration on Friday, Courts Ready Cash, one of the company’s brands, which offers loans to Jamaicans to improve themselves and their businesses, gave Santana Williston a brand new 2024 Hyundai Creta SUV which she won in the Courts Ready Cash Big Money Move Competition.

ainsworth.morris@gleanerjm.com