ST JAMES, Jamaica – People’s National Party (PNP) President Mark Golding is expressing concern over a bill piloted by Government which he says seeks to criminalise Airbnb operators.

The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) bill proposes changes to the regulatory framework of the tourism sector, including making it mandatory for operators of Airbnb to be licensed and regulated by the JTB.

A scheduled debate over the bill was suspended in the House of Representatives on Tuesday after objections from Opposition members.

Speaking during the PNP’s islandwide bus tour stop at the Sam Sharpe Square in Montego Bay, St James on Saturday, Golding said he was “very concerned” about the bill.

“It seeks to criminalise Airbnb operators unless they’re registered and licensed. And even the smallest operators are faced with a million dollar fine and one year imprisonment, or both if they do not get licensed and registered before operating,” Golding told comrades.

“So we said to them, listen, you can’t introduce regulation across a massive sector of small operators. Many of them are elderly people who are making a little extra bread for themselves from the Airbnb thing,” he added.

Airbnb’s growing local market share is now estimated at about 30 per cent.

According to Ministry of Tourism figures, Jamaica welcomed 59,500 Airbnb guests in 2017. That number ballooned to over 800,000 in 2024, bringing in over J$32 billion in earnings.

However, some established tourism sector players have long called for regulation of that segment of the industry to level the playing field.