Airbnb To The Hospitality Industry Is What Online Casinos Are To The Gambling Sector
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In 2008, Airbnb was launched, and since its introduction, the online service has transformed the global hospitality industry. In 2022, there are around 100,000 cities with active Airbnb listings, including Dublin and Galway, and even though Airbnb’s valuation dropped in 2020, the online travel booking site has recovered, witnessing a more than 250% increase in net income last year.
Airbnb has become so popular that reports suggest over 50% of travellers prefer to stay at an Airbnb home rather than a traditional hotel according to https://www.travelpulse.com/news/airbnb-vs-hotels-new-data-shows-travelers-preferences/. In part, this could be because of the costs and the quality, but it’s also because travellers get more say in where they’re staying. For instance, you can book a hotel room, but you might not get the view you want. However, with Airbnb, you don’t have to book until you find somewhere that checks everything off your wish list.
Of course, this is not the first time we have seen an online service surpass its traditional counterpart. Let’s look at the gambling industry. Since online casinos entered the mainstream, many gamblers have appreciated the flexibility that comes with online gambling. They don’t have to leave their house to engage in the activity anymore, and the introduction of live casino games on platforms like https://games.paddypower.com/p/live-casino has fuelled this appreciation even more since these games replicate the traditional casino experience. Gamblers can still interact with the dealers in charge of their games in real-time, but instead of in-person, this interaction is through a monitor. Likewise, Airbnb is known for offering enticing promotions that travellers can’t get through hotels, much like the online casino industry, which offers welcome bonuses and free spins that aren’t typically available at land-based casinos.
Now, that’s not to say no one goes to traditional hotels anymore because they do. As highlighted on https://www.stratosjets.com/blog/online-travel-statistics/, two-thirds of all online travel booking sales are made from a hotel’s own website, despite sites like TripAdvisor and Airbnb getting millions of visits every month. Land-based casinos and betting shops are also still popular, especially in countries like South Africa, where these in-person establishments are places people go to on the weekends to socialise with their friends and family. There is a reported 45 land-based casinos located in South Africa alone.
Other Connections Between Hospitality and Gambling
The transition from land-based establishments to online services is not the only connection between the hospitality industry and the gambling market. For example, there are still hundreds of casino hotels worldwide that offer luxurious accommodation and in-house entertainment. Las Vegas in the United States may be best known for its casino hotels, this includes Caesar’s Palace and The Bellagio. However, South America, England, and Ireland also have reputable casino hotels.
The introduction of online services has transformed industries like hospitality and gambling, but that doesn’t mean hotels and land-based casinos have been left in the dust. It just means the world is divided in how they prefer to do things, and that’s okay. After all, what’s the point in having countless choices if no one exercises the different options?
