There are about 500 active Airbnb listings in the city and hosts have welcomed more than 51,000 domestic and international guests to Launceston in 12 months up to June.

Airbnb head of public policy, Brent Thomas, said home-sharing allowed locals to earn money and supported regional tourism industries. 

“The typical Airbnb host in Launceston earns a modest $176 per week from home-sharing,” he said.

“Hardly a fortune but we know this helps people pay their mortgage, pay their rent or pay their energy bills.”

A Legislative Council committee will begin hearings into Tasmania’s short-term accommodation sector on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Mr Thomas said the organisation would push the case that a large section of the Tasmanian community relies on the sharing platform.

“Our community is deeply concerned that vested interests will try to railroad the Parliamentary Inquiry and secure protectionist policies,” he said. A survey of Tasmanian hosts in 2017 showed 50 per cent of respondents said sharing space helped them afford to stay in their homes, 45 per cent said earnings allowed them to make ends meet, and four-per-cent said hosting helped them avoid eviction or foreclosure.

The Australian Accommodation Monitor last year Northern hotels saw growth in occupancy and revenue.

The Tenants Union of Tasmania wants greater regulation of the home-sharing sector with an argument tenants found it more difficult to get into long-term housing.

“Homes that would otherwise be used as long-term rentals have been, and will continue to be, removed from the market,” it said.