Airbnb has in the present day known as on metropolis leaders to sort out the overwhelming affect of resorts on driving overtourism within the ten most visited cities within the European Union (EU).
The decision comes as a brand new Airbnb report launched in the present day highlights how overtourism within the EU is pushed by resorts, which accounted for nearly 80 p.c of visitor nights throughout the bloc in 2023 and 2024. It additionally exhibits that between 2021 and 2023, visitor nights within the EU’s ten most visited cities elevated by over 200 million – or 2.5x – with resorts accounting for 75 p.c of this progress.
“If cities are severe about easing overtourism, they have to tackle the overwhelming affect of resorts,” mentioned Theo Yedinsky, Airbnb’s Vice President of Public Coverage. “Europe wants extra houses – not resorts – but cities are constructing extra resorts as the development of housing within the area nears a decade low.”
The new report ‘Overtourism in the EU’ relies on official information from Eurostat and the World Tourism Group, in addition to business and Airbnb information. It exhibits that:
- Overtourism is overwhelmingly pushed by resorts.
- In 2024, a record-breaking 3 billion vacationer nights had been spent in resorts and different comparable lodging in EU locations.
- Accommodations and different comparable lodging accounted for nearly 80% of visitor nights within the EU.
- As EU tourism recovered from Covid, whole visitor nights within the EU’s 10 hottest cities grew by over 200 million – or 2.5x – between 2021 and 2023 alone. Accommodations and different comparable lodging accounted for greater than 75% of the rise.
- Throughout these EU cities in 2023, resorts accounted for 5 instances extra visitor nights than Airbnb.
- Cities want extra houses – not resorts.
- Resort lodging is overwhelmingly situated in metropolis facilities.
- Central Amsterdam has 15x extra lodge rooms or comparable lodging than Airbnb listings. There are roughly seven lodge beds for every short-term rental mattress in Barcelona’s Outdated City.
- Near 40,000 lodge rooms had been opened in Europe in 2024 alone.
- On the finish of 2024, almost 250,000 lodge rooms had been both underneath development or within the planning phases throughout Europe.
- In some EU metropolis districts – like Praha 1 in Prague and Santo Antonio in Lisbon – there are actually roughly three lodge rooms per 5 native residents.
- In Spain alone, authorities have accepted 800+ new hotel projects, including 75,000 new lodge rooms throughout the nation by 2026.
- Airbnb gives a special approach to journey that spreads friends and advantages to extra communities.
- Friends use Airbnb to flee vacationer traps and uncover new locations, visiting a record-breaking 110,000 locations worldwide in 2024.
- Whereas lodge friends flock to the identical cities yr after yr, nearly all of visitor nights stayed on Airbnb within the EU – nearly 60% – had been outdoors of cities.
- Annual Airbnb visitor nights within the EU in 2024 grew quicker in areas outdoors of cities in comparison with inside cities.
- In whole throughout the highest 10 most visited EU cities in 2024, over 260,000 Airbnb friends stayed in a neighborhood with no lodge.
- Airbnb stays in neighborhoods with out resorts grew by roughly 60% between 2022 and 2024, signaling growing curiosity from Airbnb friends in areas outdoors of overcrowded metropolis facilities.
- Half of Airbnb friends within the EU say they might not have visited the neighborhood wherein they stayed had it not been for a list on Airbnb being situated there.
- Overtourism is getting worse the place Airbnb is restricted.
- Following the introduction of restrictions on short-term leases in Amsterdam and Barcelona in 2018, visitor nights proceed to rise. By 2024 they’d elevated by 2.4 million in Amsterdam and 4.8 million in Barcelona.
- Within the post-covid restoration interval from 2021-2024, resorts accounted for 93% of the rise in visitor nights in Amsterdam and 76% in Barcelona.
- With fewer lodging choices, lodge occupancy and costs have soared, with costs rising by 50% in Amsterdam and 35% in Barcelona between 2019 and spring 2025.
- As a result of resorts are concentrated in metropolis facilities, they exacerbate tourism overcrowding and ship fewer tourism proceeds to households within the communities the place locals truly stay.
Along with offering a substitute for hotel-driven mass tourism, Airbnb helps households afford their houses and helps native communities. When friends keep in resorts, they spend cash in resorts. For each greenback friends spend on Airbnb within the EU, they spend a mean of $2.50 in the local people. Throughout France, Germany, Italy and Spain, journey on Airbnb contributed a complete of $44.6 billion to GDP and supported a complete of 627,000 jobs in 2024 alone. Nearly half of hosts globally say the earnings they earn from internet hosting helps them afford their houses1.
“When friends keep in Airbnbs they uncover new communities, assist households afford their houses and help native companies,” mentioned Theo Yedinsky. “The place Airbnb is restricted, customer numbers proceed to rise, extra friends keep in metropolis middle resorts, and journey turns into costlier – with fewer proceeds going to native households. We encourage leaders to look past resorts and embrace tourism that helps households and communities.”
The be taught extra, you may learn the full report.
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