The Key Takeaways
- A new report shows that hotels account for nearly 80% of all guest nights in Europe
- Housing construction is nearing a decade-low.
- Most Airbnb guests stay outside cities, while hotel guests tend to flock to the same spots.
- Overtourism in areas where Airbnb is banned is worsening with more guests and higher hotel prices
Airbnb today called upon city leaders to address the overpowering impact that hotels have on the ten most popular cities in the European Union.
A new Airbnb report, released today, highlights the fact that hotels are the main drivers of overtourism across the EU. In 2023 and 2024, they accounted for nearly 80 percent guest nights. It also shows that between 2021 and 2023, guest nights in the EU’s ten most visited cities increased by over 200 million – or 2.5x – with hotels accounting for 75 percent of this growth.
If cities want to ease overtourism, then they need to address the impact of hotels. Europe needs more homes – not hotels – yet cities are building more hotels as the construction of housing in the region nears a decade low. Theo Yedinsky is Airbnb’s Vice-President of Public Policy
It is important to note that the word “you” means “you”. new report ‘Overtourism in the EU’ It is based upon official Eurostat data and World Tourism Organisation data, along with industry data and Airbnb data. It shows that:
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Hotels are the main drivers of overtourism.
- In 2024, the EU’s destinations saw a record 3 billion tourist nights spent in hotels.
- Nearly 80% percent of the guest nights in Europe were spent at hotels or other similar accommodations.
- As EU tourism recovered from Covid, total guest nights in the EU’s 10 most popular cities grew by over 200 million – or 2.5x – between 2021 and 2023 alone. More than 75% was accounted by hotels and similar accommodations.
- Hotel guest nights in these EU Cities will account for five times as many guests than Airbnb by 2023.
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Cities need more homes – not hotels.
- The majority of hotels are located in the city centres.
- Central Amsterdam has more than 15 times as many hotel or similar accommodation listings in Central Amsterdam as there are Airbnb listings. Barcelona’s Old Town has approximately seven hotel beds per short-term rentable bed.
- In 2024, Europe alone opened up to nearly 40,000 new hotel rooms.
- By the year 2024, there will be nearly 250,000 new hotel rooms in Europe.
- In some EU city districts – like Praha 1 in Prague and Santo Antonio in Lisbon – there are now approximately three hotel rooms per five local residents.
- Only in Spain, the authorities have approved 800+ new hotel projectsBy 2026, 75,000 additional hotel rooms will be added across the country.
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Airbnb provides a unique way to travel, allowing guests to spread their benefits across more communities.
- Airbnb guests use the service to avoid tourist traps, and they discover new destinations. They will visit a record number of 110,000 locations worldwide by 2024.
- While hotel guests flock to the same cities year after year, the majority of guest nights stayed on Airbnb in the EU – almost 60% – were outside of cities.
- In 2024, the number of Airbnb guests in Europe will increase faster outside cities than inside cities.
- In 2024, more than 260,000 guests of Airbnb stayed at a neighborhood without a hotel in the 10 most popular EU cities.
- Airbnb stays outside the city centre grew 60% between 2022-2024. This shows that Airbnb guests are increasingly interested in areas away from overcrowded cities.
- Airbnb guests in Europe say that they wouldn’t have visited their neighbourhood if there hadn’t been an Airbnb listing.
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Airbnb restrictions are causing an increase in overtourism.
- After the introduction of short-term rental restrictions in Amsterdam and Barcelona, in 2018, the number of guest nights continues to increase. By 2024, they would have increased by 2.4 millions in Amsterdam and by 4.8 million in Barcelona.
- Amsterdam and Barcelona hotels will account for 76% of the increase in guest night in the post-covid period (2021-2024).
- Hotel occupancy and prices are on the rise. Prices in Amsterdam have increased by 35% and in Barcelona they’ve risen by 50% between spring 2019 and spring 2020.
- The concentration of hotels in city centres exacerbates the overcrowding in tourist areas and provides fewer tourism revenues to local communities.
Airbnb not only helps local communities and families to afford their homes, but also provides an alternative to mass tourism driven by hotels. When guests spend money at hotels, it is because they are staying in hotels. Airbnb guests in the EU spend $2.50 on average for every dollar they spend. Travel on Airbnb in France, Germany Italy, and Spain contributed $44.6 billion to the GDP and supported 627,00 jobs by 2024. Nearly half of all hosts say that the income they receive from hosting allows them to afford their home.1.
Airbnbs allow guests to discover new communities while supporting local businesses and helping families afford their home.
Theo Yedinsky said. Where Airbnb is restricted, visitor numbers continue to rise, more guests stay in city centre hotels, and travel becomes more expensive – with fewer proceeds going to local families. We encourage leaders not to limit themselves to hotels, but instead embrace tourism which supports local families and communities.
Learn more by reading the full report.
1. Airbnb’s internal data.
Airbnb
Airbnb began in 2007, when two hosts invited three guests to stay in their San Francisco apartment. It has since grown into a global network of over 5 million hosts, who have received over 2 billion guests in nearly every country. Each day, Airbnb hosts provide guests with unique experiences and stays that allow them to engage in authentic community interaction.
What Airbnb.org is all about
Airbnb.org The nonprofit organization is dedicated to providing temporary accommodation for people during times of crisis. Airbnb.org is a nonprofit organization that operates independently, leveraging Airbnb, Inc. technology, services, other resources, at no cost, to fulfill Airbnb.org’s charitable mission. Airbnb.org was inspired by a host named Shell, who in 2012 opened her home to those affected by Hurricane Sandy. Airbnb hosts can now provide accommodation to people in times when they are in need. Since then, this program has evolved and now focuses on emergency response, helping to provide accommodations to evacuees and relief workers as well as refugees, asylum seekers and frontline workers who are fighting COVID-19. Since then, hosts opened their homes to provide accommodation to 100,000 people during times of crisis. Airbnb.org, a separate, independent entity, does not charge fees for Airbnb.org-supported stays.
