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Big three vacation rental firms join Travel Tech Association
In a sign of increasing acceptance of the sharing economy, The Travel Technology Association has granted membership of three of the sector’s biggest players – Airbnb, TripAdvisor and HomeAway.
The three companies join the Washington DC based advocacy group which up until now has been dominated by online travel agencies and GDS providers, such as Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, Priceline, Amadeus, and Sabre.
Airbnb, HomeAway and TripAdvisor owned Flipkey all offer short term vacation rentals, and are currently being pursued by lawmakers for tax liabilities in various cities nationwide.
The Association has also been involved in protecting the interests of its OTA members over the last few years against lawsuits for unpaid hotel occupancy taxes.
Travel Tech said its stance on hotel occupancy tax is unchanged but acknowledges current laws relating to the sharing economy are far from clear.
"Travel Tech supports compliance with existing short-term rental laws, whether that be the collection of local taxes, registration requirements, or other provisions, but we also believe any regulations on the short-term rental community should be easy to locate, understand, and comply with," said Travel Tech spokesman Philip Minardi.
A PhoCusWright report claimed 14% of all US travelers booked a short-term rental for at least one trip during last year.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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