Originally Posted by
MSPeconomist
If restaurants and hotels aren't open, where are tourists supposed to sleep? Visit relatives or camp? AirBnB seems less safe to me than chain hotels because hotel chains have implemented housekeeping standards and procedures. And how will they get food? Regular hotel rooms don't work with self catering, and many people staying in suites or apartments wouldn't want to cook all the time on vacation. Plus, often part of the fun of a vacation is going to great restaurants. Others associate vacations with bars, pubs, and clubs, and some destinations in Europe are (in)famous for this.
If I were booking an Airbnb I would be asking the host what increased cleanliness measures they have introduced in light of COVID. Of course there is no guarantee they will do as they suggest but it should offer a bit more comfort.
Also, rightly or wrongly it seems that Airbnb (in the UK at least) are honouring bookings that were made prior to the Government extending the closure of hotels. In contrast, all active hotel bookings will be automatically cancelled by the hotel chain regardless of when the booking was made. In that sense it seems that Airbnb are less likely to leave travellers 'homeless'. This obviously doesn't apply to those countries whose Governments have closed hotels and Airbnb indefinitely.