IN THE accommodation mix during the Tamworth Country Music Festival are the people willing to offer up their entire houses.
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And new data has shown how important that is to such regional events, visitors and hosts.
Holiday rental platform Stayz has released figures that show people pay an average of $325 per night to have a house to themselves during the festival.
Private short-term rentals for the next 10 days were 87 per cent full – with only five places listed as vacant – and the stays were 40 per cent longer than the site average.
Stayz spokeswoman Simone McDermid said these rentals were “a personalised experience” and “an integral part of the tourist accommodation mix in Tamworth”.
“Without this accommodation type, many tourists would miss out on great Australian events, such as the Tamworth Country Music Festival,” she said.
“Many local residents are also generating a little extra income by letting out their home on the Stayz platform.
“For many mum and dad investors across the New England region, this is helping them make ends meet.”
Ms McDermid said that without a strong short-term rental sector, the region “would miss out on the economic growth and local jobs that the tourism sector provides”.
Location and comfort
One of the many Tamworth locals who offer accommodation during the city’s biggest event is Nicole Ball.
She has a Stayz-listed three-bedroom cottage in Church St, which not only makes an extra income but also earns her family an annual holiday on the coast.
She takes bookings throughout the year from people coming to Tamworth for anything from funerals to hockey carnivals.
During the festival, she has guests who stay at the cottage in a house-swap arrangement: the Ball family stays in their coastal accommodation later in the year.
She said privacy and space were some of the benefits of renting a holiday house.
She was also able to provide “extra comforts” such as flexible check-in times and turning on the airconditioning before guests arrived.
“We usually leave a loaf of bread and carton of milk; it doesn't cost me much to do that but if guests arrive at 10 o’clock at night they appreciate that, especially people with little kids,” Mrs Ball said.
Even though the same guests rented the cottage every year and Stayz listed it as being booked, it was still in demand, she said.
“It’s a convenient location and … basic, comfortable and clean,” Mrs Ball said.
“We still get two or three inquiries through the year from people saying, ‘If it becomes available, can you contact me?’
“I could fill it tomorrow if they pulled out, so there is a call for more accommodation like this.”
Mrs Ball said she chose not to leave town during the festival, as she liked to be on hand for guests in the cottage and visitors at home.
However, her parents used to rent out the family home “for years” when she was a child.
“We used to go on holidays and rent it out to four couples every year.
“They’d come for seven to 10 days, depending on their work commitments and whatnot, and that paid for our family holidays.”