Airbnb blames hotels for ‘overtourism' in Europe
Theo Yedinsky, the Airbnb vice president for public policy, hit back at criticism from furious residents and regulators that the company is causing overcrowding in holiday hotspots.
He claimed the rentals group was the victim of 'scapegoating' by local authorities, like in Spain, where large anti-tourism protests have become commonplace.
Mr Yedinksy said it was the hotel industry that was driving overtourism, rather than Airbnb rentals.
'We end up getting a lot of the blame, especially in city centres, but the reality is overtourism is really driven by hotels. It is totally unfair,' Mr Yedinsky told the Financial Times.
Airbnb and other short-term lettings like Booking.com have been criticised for turning cities into places where locals can no longer afford to live because apartments are rented to tourists. In Venice, for instance, with an acute lack of affordable public housing, many families have moved to the mainland where rents are cheaper.
Anti-tourism demonstrations have been commonplace in Europe in recent years, with about 10,000 people marching in Palma, Majorca last May against overtourism. Similar protests have occurred in Barcelona, Santa Cruz and the Canary Islands.
This weekend is set to see another huge wave of anti-tourism protests all over Spain, with marches set to take place in Barcelona, Majorca, Granada, Ibiza and Minorca, as well as in Lisbon and Venice.
These protests have seen angry locals spraying tourists with water guns and congregating on the street, with as many as 20,000 coming out to express anger at councils and local governments' management of mass tourism.
In response, the Spanish government called for the removal of nearly 66,000 Airbnb properties across six regions of the country in May, claiming they breach regulations for tourist accommodation.
Airbnb listings have been partly blamed for swallowing up the housing stock in cities such as Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.
Barcelona aims to eliminate 10,000 of its short term lets by the end of 2028.
'I think the mayor of Barcelona needs to look at the construction of hotels, he needs to look at hotels in general . . . and they need to build more housing,' Mr Yedinksy said in response.
'They are scapegoating Airbnb. They are attacking a fraction of the problem and then wondering why it's not getting better,' he added.
Spain received 94 million tourists in 2024, and Airbnb reported 500,000 listings in Spain in 2021 alone. Locals report that these huge levels of tourism have perpetuated housing crises, making it harder to buy and rent in cities like Barcelona and Lisbon.
Councils have responded with increased regulations and city-planning schemes, with Barcelona recently announcing €30 million to revamp the tourist hotspot area of Ciutat Vella to improve services for locals such as housing and cultural spaces.
Experts say that although hotels are still the most popular choice for tourists, Airbnb brings tourism to residential areas of cities, which can cause more discontent due to noise and over-crowded services usually reserved for locals.
Studies on the effects of increased Airbnb lettings concluded that the rise in the short-term letting listed online have effects similar to gentrification, by increasing the value of neighbourhoods.
Airbnb income was $2.65 billion in 2024, a massive 44% drop from 2023, reflecting the possible effect of tighter regulations and renters' anger with the company. Additionally, the company took a massive hit during the pandemic, with bookings down 85% at Covid-19's peak.
However, Mr Yedinsky seems optimistic about the future, saying, 'this company will continue to be successful'. The company is reportedly aiming for 1 billion guests by 2028.
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