Airbnb and Tui, Europe’s largest travel operator, are trading blame over the cause of overtourism. Recent European protests over overcrowding and rising housing costs, plus intensified Airbnb regulations across Europe have escalated the debate about who is truly responsible.
Airbnb’s Argument
Airbnb published an article urging EU cities to address the significant impact of hotels on overtourism, positioning hotels as the primary issue. According to Airbnb:
- Hotels account for nearly 80% of guest nights in the EU.
- A record 3 billion tourist nights occurred in EU hotels in 2024.
- Some city districts have 3 hotel rooms for every 5 residents.
- Hotel guests concentrate in popular hotspots, while most Airbnb stays occur outside city centers.
- Restricting Airbnb results in increased hotel bookings, higher hotel prices, and more traffic in overtouristed areas.
These figures are compelling. "If cities are serious about easing overtourism, they must address the overwhelming impact of hotels," said Theo Yedinsky, Airbnb’s Vice President of Public Policy. He argues that Airbnb is unfairly blamed, especially in urban centers, while hotels drive the core issue.
What's The Logic Behind Airbnb Regulations?
Spain has been at center stage, with vocal protests prompting aggressive regulatory actions against Airbnb. And the Spanish government has taken the most decisive action against STRs leading to the removal of over 65,000 listings, with Barcelona’s Mayor planning to eliminate all STRs by 2028.
Yet, despite the crackdown on Airbnb, Spanish authorities approved over 800 new hotel projects, adding 75,000 rooms by 2026. In Barcelona’s Old Town, there are already seven hotel beds for each short-term rental bed.
So, what's the logic? There seems to be a disconnect between stated problems and regulatory actions.
The Hotel Industry’s Response
Following Airbnb’s criticism, Tui responded by asserting that overtourism stems from STRs, not hotels.
Alexander Panczuk, Tui’s group director of policy and reputation, said, “It is not scapegoating; it is a very neutral analysis of the problem. Protesters are concerned primarily with housing and cost of living issues driven by secondary homes and short-term leases.”
“Touristic hotels, on the very contrary, provide secure jobs for employees and the connected industries, are subject to regulation and planning, e.g. built in specific areas, keeping the impact to the local communities to a minimum, not taking away any living room from those who need it.”
Our Perspective
Airbnb is a big, easy target for cities to point at for tourism and housing issues, but STRs aren’t the problem.
Consider New York City: Since implementing Local Law 18 in September 2023, Airbnb listings in NYC dropped by 92%, yet housing vacancy rates remain the same at 1.9%, and rents continue to rise. Clearly, Airbnb regulation has not resolved housing affordability.
Instead, banning Airbnb had significant economic drawbacks, including an estimated $1.6 billion reduction in tourist spending across Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island, driven by the tourists forced to stay in hotels which are concentrated in Manhattan. This also led to approximately 15,000 lost jobs and a $573 million reduction in worker income.
Simply put, regulating Airbnb neither solves overtourism nor improves housing affordability. A more effective solution would be to support Airbnb, spreading tourism benefits to more communities, while local governments simultaneously encourage increased housing development to genuinely address affordability.
