Airbnb Host’s Perspectives on Climate Change: Wildfire Threats to Rural Tourism

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of wildfire threats, and the resulting smoke, on nature-based rural tourism. As both residents of the community and business owners, Airbnb hosts provide valuable insight into the challenges facing tourism in southern Oregon. As an investigative study where there is little past research on the subject, qualitative methods were used. Results indicate that the summer season is growing longer, and smoky conditions are reducing the tourist season. As wildfire season extends into the autumn, visitation is also decreasing during the hunting/fishing season because of closures to natural areas under wildfire threat. The politicization of climate change has changed the policy emphasis from climate change mitigation to wildfire mitigation, resulting in added expenses for Airbnb property owners.