Newsroom

Airbnb hosts EU leaders to discuss proposals for new rules

By ·
·

Key Takeaways

  • Nathan Blecharczyk hosted members of the European Parliament at Airbnb’s offices in San Francisco
  • Airbnb supports work to update EU rules and unlock the benefits of hosting for millions of everyday Europeans

Key Takeaways

  • Nathan Blecharczyk hosted members of the European Parliament at Airbnb’s offices in San Francisco
  • Airbnb supports work to update EU rules and unlock the benefits of hosting for millions of everyday Europeans

Airbnb co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer Nathan Blecharczyk hosted members of the European Parliament at our offices in San Francisco to discuss our support for work to update European Union rules and unlock the benefits of hosting for millions of everyday Europeans.

Talks focused on how Airbnb and EU leaders can work together to build sustainable tourism models that economically benefit locals while protecting communities. Many EU citizens are currently unable to benefit from the economic opportunities generated by home sharing due to local rules that can be onerous and not proportional – often because they are designed with large-scale tourism players in mind.

Travel on Airbnb generates significant economic, cultural and community benefits in the EU and helps families keep the economic benefits of tourism for themselves and within their communities. The EU is home to more than 1.3 million Hosts – more than any other region in the world – and 1 million Hosts share only one listing. EU guests on Airbnb are traveling within the region more than ever before, and guests are more dispersed as they discover new communities and spread the benefits of travel across the bloc.

Nathan Blecharczyck, Airbnb co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, said, “Travel on Airbnb contributed €19 billion to the EU economy before the pandemic, benefiting Hosts and the communities they call home. The majority of Hosts are everyday families and new EU rules on hosting can help more Europeans benefit from home sharing, whilst ensuring that local governments have the tools they need to limit unwanted activity by property speculators. We look forward to continuing our dialogue with the EU institutions on these matters.”

The EU is currently consulting on proposals for new harmonized EU-wide rules and we at Airbnb have put forward proposals that would unlock the benefits of hosting for millions of everyday Europeans while giving governments the tools they need to clamp down on speculators and tackle overtourism. The proposals are set out in our EU Host Action Plan, which we launched in December in response to the EU’s consultation.

About Airbnb

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two Hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to 4 million Hosts who have welcomed more than 1 billion guest arrivals across over 220 countries and regions. Travel on Airbnb keeps more of the financial benefits of tourism with the people and places that make it happen. Airbnb has generated billions of dollars in earnings for Hosts, most of whom are individuals listing the homes in which they live. Among Hosts who report their gender, more than half are women, and one in five employed Hosts are either teachers or healthcare workers. Travel on Airbnb also has generated more than $4 billion in tax revenue around the world. Airbnb has helped advance more than 1,000 regulatory frameworks for short-term rentals, including in 80% of our top 200 geographies. In late 2020, to support our continued expansion and diversification, we launched the City Portal to provide governments with a one-stop shop that supports data sharing and compliance with local registration rules. We continue to invest in innovations and tools to support our ongoing work with governments around the world to advance travel that best serves communities.

Download logo assets