Airbnb calls on EU cities to tackle the ‘overwhelming impact’ of hotels on overtourism

Airbnb has today called on city leaders to tackle the overwhelming impact of hotels on driving overtourism in the ten most visited cities in the European Union (EU). 

The call comes as a new Airbnb report released today highlights how overtourism in the EU is driven by hotels, which accounted for almost 80 percent of guest nights across the bloc in 2023 and 2024. 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 are serious about easing overtourism, they must address the overwhelming impact of hotels,” said Theo Yedinsky, Airbnb’s Vice President of Public Policy. “Europe needs more homes – not hotels – yet cities are building more hotels as the construction of housing in the region nears a decade low.” 

The new report ‘Overtourism in the EU’ is based on official data from Eurostat and the World Tourism Organisation, as well as industry and Airbnb data. It shows that:

• Overtourism is overwhelmingly driven by hotels.
  • In 2024, a record-breaking 3 billion tourist nights were spent in hotels and other similar accommodations in EU destinations. 
  • Hotels and other similar accommodations accounted for almost 80% of guest nights in the EU. 
  • 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. Hotels and other similar accommodations accounted for more than 75% of the increase.
  • Across these EU cities in 2023, hotels accounted for five times more guest nights than Airbnb.
• Cities need more homes – not hotels.
  • Hotel accommodation is overwhelmingly located in city centers. 
  • Central Amsterdam has 15x more hotel rooms or similar accommodations than Airbnb listings. There are approximately seven hotel beds for each short-term rental bed in Barcelona’s Old Town. 
  • Close to 40,000 hotel rooms were opened in Europe in 2024 alone. 
  • At the end of 2024, nearly 250,000 hotel rooms were either under construction or in the planning phases across 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.
  • In Spain alone, authorities have approved 800+ new hotel projects, adding 75,000 new hotel rooms across the country by 2026.
• Airbnb offers a different way to travel that spreads guests and benefits to more communities. 
  • Guests use Airbnb to escape tourist traps and discover new destinations, visiting a record-breaking 110,000 destinations worldwide in 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. 
  • Annual Airbnb guest nights in the EU in 2024 grew faster in locations outside of cities compared to inside cities.
  • In total across the top 10 most visited EU cities in 2024, over 260,000 Airbnb guests stayed in a neighbourhood without a hotel.
  • Airbnb stays in neighbourhoods without hotels grew by roughly 60% between 2022 and 2024, signalling increasing interest from Airbnb guests in locations outside of overcrowded city centres. 
  • Half of Airbnb guests in the EU say they would not have visited the neighbourhood in which they stayed had it not been for a listing on Airbnb being located there.
• Overtourism is getting worse where Airbnb is restricted. 
  • Following the introduction of restrictions on short-term rentals in Amsterdam and Barcelona in 2018, guest nights continue to rise. By 2024 they had increased by 2.4 million in Amsterdam and 4.8 million in Barcelona. 
  • In the post-covid recovery period from 2021-2024, hotels accounted for 93% of the increase in guest nights in Amsterdam and 76% in Barcelona.  
  • With fewer accommodation options, hotel occupancy and prices have soared, with prices rising by 50% in Amsterdam and 35% in Barcelona between 2019 and spring 2025. 
  • Because hotels are concentrated in city centers, they exacerbate tourism overcrowding and deliver fewer tourism proceeds to families in the communities where locals actually live. 

In addition to providing an alternative to hotel-driven mass tourism, Airbnb helps families afford their homes and supports local communities. When guests stay in hotels, they spend money in hotels. For every dollar guests spend on Airbnb in the EU, they spend an average of $2.50 in the local community. Across France, Germany, Italy and Spain, travel on Airbnb contributed a total of $44.6 billion to GDP and supported a total of 627,000 jobs in 2024 alone. Almost half of hosts globally say the income they earn from hosting helps them afford their homes¹.

“When guests stay in Airbnbs they discover new communities, help families afford their homes and support local businesses,” said Theo Yedinsky. “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 to look beyond hotels and embrace tourism that supports families and communities.”

The learn more, you can read the full report.