Those wielding water pistols may have a point. Barcelona’s overnight tourist numbers grew from 4.5 million in 2004 to 15.5 million in 2024.
So, who is to blame for overtourism? Greedy tourist bosses in those destinations? Low-cost airlines for making flights too cheap? Cruise companies for building mega-liners that decant thousands of passengers for a few hours, leaving garbage and not much money in their wake when they leave?
If you believe vacation rental giant Airbnb, the answer is hotels.
STRs vs. hotels
In mid-June, Airbnb published a report called Overtourism in the EU.
The report claimed that “almost eight out of 10 (78%) guest nights across the EU were spent in hotels or other similar accommodations” and that STRs actually “represent a small fraction of the tourism ecosystem in the EU.”
Airbnb stated that short-term rentals (STRs) can “help alleviate some of the most common concerns” surrounding overtourism in the EU, adding that STRs “disperse travel away from overcrowded cities” while hotels are “often concentrated in the busiest areas.”
“[STRs] provide flexible capacity during high demand periods, e.g., large events, without the cost of vacant inventory outside of these periods, while generating income and jobs for families and communities,” the company said.
“Removing short-term rentals will not solve overcrowding concerns. There are better solutions to addressing overtourism, including tackling the overwhelming impact of hotels, promoting tourism dispersal and ‘off the beaten path’ travel or by managing visitor access to historical centers,” Airbnb said.
According to Fabián González, Phocuswright market analyst for Spain, a third-party may be necessary to substantiate Airbnb’s claims.
“When a company analyzes the impact and potential externalities it generates, it is, at the very least, likely to exhibit significant bias. It would be advisable for an independent and neutral organization, without vested interests, to conduct a thorough and consistent research report.”
Debbie Hindle, chair of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism (ICRT) global, added that Airbnb is trying to shift the blame for overtourism due to the growing number of legal challenges it is facing.
“Increasing legislation in cities across the world is a major business risk to its model, which could affect both its volumes and share price,” she said.
In May, when the Spanish government ordered Airbnb to remove 65,000 listings saying they were illegal, Airbnb’s share price fell by around 3%. The company’s appeal was rejected.
“Airbnb is having to spend time and money on legal challenges. Governments around the world are acting to crack down on compliance, looking at ways to suppress demand and reduce the volume of short-term rentals,” Hindle said.
Barcelona is planning a full ban on tourist-focused STRs by the end of 2028. At the same time, the Spanish government is considering adding 21% value-added tax on short-term rentals. This last point could explain the timing of Airbnb’s latest report.
Barcelona’s authorities also have their hands tied.
“The city of Barcelona has little influence over the development of the airport and the port. It doesn’t control arrivals; a new terminal is being built in the port,” said ICRT’s founder Harold Goodwin.
“The issue of overtourism has been a concern in Barcelona since 2004 and an issue formally engaged with by the Ajuntament de Barcelona [City Council of Barcelona] since 2008.”
Airbnb has also been involved in court cases in New Orleans and New York over rules to restrict STRs.
The hotel perspective
Hotels in destinations where protests are taking place are not happy with being scapegoated.
Gabriel Escarrer, chairman and CEO of Spanish hotel group Mélia Hotels International, called Airbnb’s stance “unfair and hypocritical.”
“Data is data, and the reality is that in Spain, hotel accommodations grew by 2.5% over the last 10 years, while vacation rentals increased by 135%, exceeding the capacity of the destinations,” he said.
“Moreover, while hotels (and other regulated accommodation options) have always been heavily regulated and had to comply with urban planning based on the urban development model and the carrying capacity of destinations, tourist rental homes have proliferated without any planning or limits. This has caused dysfunctions in community life, overuse of public resources and infrastructure that were not designed for such excess demand.”
Escarrer said Mélia has been attempting to address overtourism by repositioning its portfolio to focus on the premium and luxury segments.
“We prioritize upgrading and improving existing assets rather than growing for growth’s sake, which does not make sense in the current environment. We also have an extensive responsible tourism program called 'Travel For Good,' aimed at reducing our negative impact and maximizing our positive social and environmental impact,” he said.
Accor also believes this is shifting blame. A spokesperson for the group told Phocuswire that hotels “are a source of economic and employment growth and have a positive impact on the local life.”
“Hotels are totally integrated in their economic and social environment, and we can see it with the success of the lifestyle hotel segment for the last decade: Hotels are places that attract travelers but also local communities thanks to their products and services (co-working, food & beverage offers, wellness etc.) It is a virtuous circle,” the spokesperson said.
“We have a great example with the last hotel opening of the group in Barcelona a few months ago, an SLS hotel. What has been important is that this has been done with all the relevant stakeholders: We worked with the public authorities and the local communities to create the right place. For example, we managed to meet a number of needs in an outlying area that was not previously covered; this hotel has become relevant and accepted since its opening by the neighborhood, travelers and locals.”
Accor said it is taking overtourism “very seriously” and is working on several initiatives, including the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance. The company has also published a white paper, “Building Resilience: City-hotel Collaborations for Future-proof Destinations,” focusing on sustainability planning, urban resilience and climate adaptation.
Problem-solving efforts
Mélia’s Escarrer is also president of the Spanish tourism thinktank Exceltur.
“[Exceltur has] been warning for years about the risk of overcrowding in certain destinations. This issue has been worsened over the past decade by the proliferation of illegal and/or unregulated vacation rental properties, which emerged under the pretext of promoting the 'sharing economy' and now consume 50% of the available rental housing in key tourist destinations such as the Balearic and Canary Islands (according to the Bank of Spain),” he said.
“We are convinced that before adopting measures that are 'easy' or cosmetic, mainly aimed at public opinion, we must have a rigorous analysis and diagnosis of this issue.”
Exceltur has developed a major public-private collaboration called Turismo Que Suma to craft an initiative. Escarrer said its goal is to “mitigate the impacts of overcrowding, reduce its risks and move toward a more respectful, empathetic and positive tourism model for destination communities”
And it's important to look at the bigger picture, too.
“The issue of overtourism is highly complex and should not be reduced to a simple ‘Airbnb yes or no’ debate. It is important to recognize that the root of the problem does not lie with Airbnb as a whole, but rather with the illegal listings found on the platform,” Phocuswright’s González said.
“Short-term rentals—like any other form of accommodation—must be regulated in order to fall under the governance of local authorities. Otherwise, any business operating outside the law not only puts customers at risk, but also escapes the regulatory framework of the destination. This creates an unfair advantage over other segments that do comply with current regulations and the rules set by public administrations.”
Overtourism is clearly a complex issue and not one that any player can solve on their own. Airbnb might do better to engage with the entire sector and with government rather than try to shift blame.
Tags: Airbnb, Debbie Hindle, International Centre for Responsible Tourism, Overtourism, Fabián González, Phocuswright, Accor, Gabriel Escarrer, Mélia Hotels International
