With the COVID-19 pandemic changing the landscape of working conditions in North America, Airbnb says more and more people are looking to travel and work at the same time.
On Wednesday, the company highlighted some of the most popular places to stay in Canada for remote workers looking for long-term housing.
Victoria had the fifth-highest number of long-term bookings of any city in Canada in the first fiscal quarter of 2022, according to Airbnb.
Toronto was the most popular choice, followed by Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary, respectively.
Meanwhile, Victoria was considered the fifth “best equipped” city for long-term remote workers, based on the number of long-term stay listings available to travellers.
Victoria was not the only island community to be honored on Wednesday.
Airbnb says Nanaimo was considered the third most hospitable city for long-term stays in Canada, based on its percentage of five-star reviews.
Approximately 87.1% of travelers staying in long-term accommodations in Nanaimo gave hosts in the city five-star reviews, the highest percentage in British Columbia.
Nanaimo was beaten only by Halifax with 92.6% and Winnipeg with 87.7%.
Nanaimo, British Columbia is pictured. (CTV News)
HOUSING CRISIS
With affordable housing a top concern for many Canadians, especially in British Columbia, the popularity of Airbnbs in Victoria may not be good news for some.
Last month, the city of Victoria told CTV News it was investigating hundreds of potentially unlicensed Airbnbs.
Under city by-laws, short-term rental permits can only be granted to landlords under special conditions.
Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps said 410 investigations into unlicensed short-term rentals were underway at the start of June.
She hoped these investigations would lead to fines, noting that in 2021, four cases involving unlicensed short-term rentals were brought to court and resulted in fines of $20,000 and five people were banned from operating. their rentals.
Helps said she would like to see more support from other municipalities, the province and Airbnb to help reduce the number of unlicensed short-term rentals as British Columbia struggles with housing affordability. accommodation.
“We used the full extent of our authority,” Helps said at the time.
“We know we’re in a crisis. We suppressed this five years ago before there was a crisis, and we’re using all of our tools in our toolbox,” she said.
With files from Eric Lloyd of CTV News Vancouver Island
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