Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky says his company is a 'convenient scapegoat' as European cities protest overtourism
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said his company isn't to blame for overtourism in certain European cities.
Rather, Chesky said overtourism is due to poor policy and long-standing housing issues.
Anti-overtourism activists plan to protest in cities like Barcelona and Venice on Sunday.
Overtourism is rattling cities across Europe, where some activists blame short-term rental companies like Airbnb for swelling the cost of living and limiting housing options for locals.
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky disagrees.
Chesky addressed the criticisms during an interview with Dagmar Von Taube of WELT, a German newspaper that is part of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, saying, "I've heard the criticisms — and I have responses."
The tech billionaire mentioned Barcelona, where activists protested overtourism in 2024 and are planning further protests on Sunday.
"In Barcelona, housing prices rose 60% over the past decade, but Airbnb listings actually decreased. So we can't be the culprits. Sure, people see a lot of tourists, but many of them are cruise ship passengers or hotel guests — in Barcelona, that's around 70%," Chesky said.
Airbnb has become a "convenient scapegoat for a failed policy and deep, long-standing housing issues," he said.
"Cities haven't built enough new homes to match urban growth. That's the real crisis," Chesky said. "But we're committed to working with cities. We support modern, targeted regulations that protect housing without blocking hosts from occasionally sharing their homes."
Chesky's remarks came after Airbnb blamed hotels for the problem this week. In a new report, Airbnb said hotels make up "almost 80% of guest nights in the EU." Theo Yedinsky, Airbnb's vice president for public policy, echoed Chesky's "scapegoat" remark in an interview with The Financial Times published this week.
That garnered a response from Tui, Europe's biggest travel operator, which pushed back against Airbnb's suggestion that it's not getting a fair shake on Friday.
"The reason protesters hit the streets is because of issues with the cost of living and especially housing. Both are driven by the secondary home market and short-term leases," Alexander Panczuk, group director of policy and reputation at Tui," told The Guardian. "All the destinations where we have seen the conflict of tourists and living spaces in the last few years are not where [operators like] Tui are active."
Representatives for Airbnb did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Although tourism can boost economies, those grappling with overtourism say the influx of travelers in their cities has caused the cost of living to spike, contributed to housing crises, and encouraged overcrowding. Last July, protesters took to the streets of Barcelona holding signs that read "Barcelona is not for sale" and "Tourists go home." Some even sprayed people visiting popular tourist spots with water guns.
That June, the city announced its intention to ban all short-term rentals.
Activists have also staged demonstrations in Italy, Mallorca, and other popular destinations. Widespread protests are scheduled for Sunday in cities across Spain, Portugal, and Italy.
"When they (officials) say that we have to specialise in tourism, they are basically telling us that you have to get poorer so that other people can get richer," Daniel Pardo Rivacoba, a spokesperson for Barcelona's Neighbourhoods Assembly for Tourism Degrowth, told the outlet.
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Spaniards packing water pistols blame impact of mass tourism for housing crunch
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — In Barcelona's residential Gràcia neighborhood known for its quaint squares, Txema Escorsa feels he is being left behind. The friendly faces of neighbors in his apartment building have been replaced by a non-stop flow of hard-partying foreigners, and his teacher's salary can't keep pace with the rising rent. 'It is tough for me to imagine what to do next,' he told The Associated Press in the living room of his two-bedroom apartment. 'If I leave, will I be contributing to Barcelona losing its essence that comes from its locals? But there comes a time when I'm fed up.' Escorsa, 33, is just one of many residents who believe tourism has gone too far in the city famed for Antoni Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia basilica and the Las Ramblas promenade, running roughshod over communities and exacerbating a housing crisis. It's not just a Spanish problem. 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When thousands marched through the streets of Spain's capital in April, some held homemade signs saying 'Get Airbnb out of our neighborhoods.' Last year, Barcelona seemed to reach a tipping point when a rally in favor of 'degrowing tourism' ended with some protestors shooting water pistols at unsuspecting tourists. Images of those incidents went around the world, and more such scenes are expected on Sunday. 'It is very likely the water pistols will be back,' said Daniel Pardo, one of the organizers of the Barcelona protest. 'In fact, we encourage people to bring their own.' Spain, with a population of 48 million, hosted a record 94 million international visitors in 2024, compared with 83 million in 2019, making it one of the most-visited countries in the world. It could receive as many as 100 million tourists this year, according to studies cited by Spain's economy minister. 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And last month, it ordered Airbnb to remove almost 66,000 holiday rentals from the platform which it said had violated local rules. Spain's Consumer Rights Minister Pablo Bustinduy told AP that the tourism sector 'cannot jeopardize the constitutional rights of the Spanish people,' which enshrines their right to housing and well-being. Carlos Cuerpo, the economy minister, said in a separate AP interview that the government is aware it must tackle the unwanted side effects of mass tourism. 'These record numbers in terms of tourism also pose challenges, and we need to deal with those challenges also for our own population,' Cuerpo said. The short-term rental industry believes it is being treated unfairly. 'I think a lot of our politicians have found an easy scapegoat to blame for the inefficiencies of their policies in terms of housing and tourism over the last 10, 15, 20 years,' Airbnb's general director for Spain and Portugal, Jaime Rodríguez de Santiago told the AP. 'If you look at the over-tourism problem in Spain, it has been brewing for decades, and probably since the 60s.' He says hotels are still the leading accommodation for tourists. In Barcelona, hotels accounted for 20 million tourists in 2024, compared with 12 million who used homes, according to local data. Rodríguez de Santiago notes the contradiction of Barcelona's Mayor Jaume Collboni backing the expansion of the city's international airport — announced this week — while still planning to wipe out the tourist apartments. That argument either hasn't trickled down to the ordinary residents of Barcelona, or isn't resonating. Escorsa, the teacher in Barcelona, doesn't just oppose Airbnb in his home city; he has ceased to use it even when traveling elsewhere, out of principle. 'In the end, you realize that this is taking away housing from people,' he said.
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
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Spaniards packing water pistols blame impact of mass tourism for housing crunch
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — In Barcelona's residential Gràcia neighborhood known for its quaint squares, Txema Escorsa feels he is being left behind. The friendly faces of neighbors in his apartment building have been replaced by a non-stop flow of hard-partying foreigners, and his teacher's salary can't keep pace with the rising rent. "It is tough for me to imagine what to do next,' he told The Associated Press in the living room of his two-bedroom apartment. 'If I leave, will I be contributing to Barcelona losing its essence that comes from its locals? But there comes a time when I'm fed up.' Escorsa, 33, is just one of many residents who believe tourism has gone too far in the city famed for Antoni Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia basilica and the Las Ramblas promenade, running roughshod over communities and exacerbating a housing crisis. It's not just a Spanish problem. Cities across the world are struggling with how to cope with overtourism and a boom in short-term rental platforms, like Airbnb, but perhaps nowhere has surging discontent been so evident as in Barcelona, where protesters plan to take to the streets on Sunday. Similar demonstrations are slated in several other Spanish cities, including on the Balearic islands of Mallorca and Ibiza, as well as in the Italian postcard city of Venice, Portugal's capital Lisbon and other cities across southern Europe — marking the first time a protest against tourism has been coordinated across the region. 'Very likely water pistols will be back' A poll in June 2022 found just 2% of Spaniards thought housing was a national problem. Three years later, almost a third of those surveyed said it is now a leading concern. (Both polls were of 4,000 people, with a margin of error of 1.6%) Spaniards have staged several large protests in Barcelona, Madrid and other cities in recent years to demand lower rents. When thousands marched through the streets of Spain's capital in April, some held homemade signs saying 'Get Airbnb out of our neighborhoods.' Last year, Barcelona seemed to reach a tipping point when a rally in favor of 'degrowing tourism' ended with some protestors shooting water pistols at unsuspecting tourists. Images of those incidents went around the world, and more such scenes are expected on Sunday. 'It is very likely the water pistols will be back," said Daniel Pardo, one of the organizers of the Barcelona protest. "In fact, we encourage people to bring their own.' Spain, with a population of 48 million, hosted a record 94 million international visitors in 2024, compared with 83 million in 2019, making it one of the most-visited countries in the world. It could receive as many as 100 million tourists this year, according to studies cited by Spain's economy minister. Blocking tourist rentals Spain's municipal and federal authorities are striving to show they hear the public outcry and are taking appropriate action to put the tourism industry on notice, despite the fact it contributes 12% of national GDP. Almost two-thirds of those who took part in a poll conducted last year in Barcelona said tourist apartments led to bothersome behavior. Two months later, the city stunned Airbnb and other services who help rent properties to tourists by announcing the elimination of all 10,000 short-term rental licenses in the city by 2028. A survey by Spain's public opinion office last year showed more than three-quarters of respondents favored tighter regulations on tourist apartments. Spain's left-wing government approved regulations making it easier for owners of apartments to block others from renting to tourists in their building, as well as approving measures to allow cities like Barcelona to cap rents. And last month, it ordered Airbnb to remove almost 66,000 holiday rentals from the platform which it said had violated local rules. Spain's Consumer Rights Minister Pablo Bustinduy told AP that the tourism sector 'cannot jeopardize the constitutional rights of the Spanish people,' which enshrines their right to housing and well-being. Carlos Cuerpo, the economy minister, said in a separate AP interview that the government is aware it must tackle the unwanted side effects of mass tourism. 'These record numbers in terms of tourism also pose challenges, and we need to deal with those challenges also for our own population,' Cuerpo said. 'Brewing for decades' The short-term rental industry believes it is being treated unfairly. 'I think a lot of our politicians have found an easy scapegoat to blame for the inefficiencies of their policies in terms of housing and tourism over the last 10, 15, 20 years,' Airbnb's general director for Spain and Portugal, Jaime Rodríguez de Santiago told the AP. 'If you look at the over-tourism problem in Spain, it has been brewing for decades, and probably since the 60s." He says hotels are still the leading accommodation for tourists. In Barcelona, hotels accounted for 20 million tourists in 2024, compared with 12 million who used homes, according to local data. Rodríguez de Santiago notes the contradiction of Barcelona's Mayor Jaume Collboni backing the expansion of the city's international airport — announced this week — while still planning to wipe out the tourist apartments. Escorsa, the teacher in Barcelona, doesn't just oppose Airbnb in his home city; he has ceased to use it even when traveling elsewhere, out of principle. 'In the end, you realize that this is taking away housing from people,' he said.
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Spaniards packing water pistols blame impact of mass tourism for housing crunch
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — In Barcelona's residential Gràcia neighborhood known for its quaint squares, Txema Escorsa feels he is being left behind. The friendly faces of neighbors in his apartment building have been replaced by a non-stop flow of hard-partying foreigners, and his teacher's salary can't keep pace with the rising rent. 'It is tough for me to imagine what to do next,' he told The Associated Press in the living room of his two-bedroom apartment. 'If I leave, will I be contributing to Barcelona losing its essence that comes from its locals? But there comes a time when I'm fed up.' Escorsa, 33, is just one of many residents who believe tourism has gone too far in the city famed for Antoni Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia basilica and the Las Ramblas promenade, running roughshod over communities and exacerbating a housing crisis. It's not just a Spanish problem. Cities across the world are struggling with how to cope with overtourism and a boom in short-term rental platforms, like Airbnb, but perhaps nowhere has surging discontent been so evident as in Barcelona, where protesters plan to take to the streets on Sunday. Similar demonstrations are slated in several other Spanish cities, including on the Balearic islands of Mallorca and Ibiza, as well as in the Italian postcard city of Venice, Portugal's capital Lisbon and other cities across southern Europe — marking the first time a protest against tourism has been coordinated across the region. 'Very likely water pistols will be back' A poll in June 2022 found just 2% of Spaniards thought housing was a national problem. Three years later, almost a third of those surveyed said it is now a leading concern. (Both polls were of 4,000 people, with a margin of error of 1.6%) Spaniards have staged several large protests in Barcelona, Madrid and other cities in recent years to demand lower rents. When thousands marched through the streets of Spain's capital in April, some held homemade signs saying 'Get Airbnb out of our neighborhoods.' Last year, Barcelona seemed to reach a tipping point when a rally in favor of 'degrowing tourism' ended with some protestors shooting water pistols at unsuspecting tourists. Images of those incidents went around the world, and more such scenes are expected on Sunday. 'It is very likely the water pistols will be back,' said Daniel Pardo, one of the organizers of the Barcelona protest. 'In fact, we encourage people to bring their own.' Spain, with a population of 48 million, hosted a record 94 million international visitors in 2024, compared with 83 million in 2019, making it one of the most-visited countries in the world. It could receive as many as 100 million tourists this year, according to studies cited by Spain's economy minister. Blocking tourist rentals Spain's municipal and federal authorities are striving to show they hear the public outcry and are taking appropriate action to put the tourism industry on notice, despite the fact it contributes 12% of national GDP. Almost two-thirds of those who took part in a poll conducted last year in Barcelona said tourist apartments led to bothersome behavior. Two months later, the city stunned Airbnb and other services who help rent properties to tourists by announcing the elimination of all 10,000 short-term rental licenses in the city by 2028. A survey by Spain's public opinion office last year showed more than three-quarters of respondents favored tighter regulations on tourist apartments. Spain's left-wing government approved regulations making it easier for owners of apartments to block others from renting to tourists in their building, as well as approving measures to allow cities like Barcelona to cap rents. And last month, it ordered Airbnb to remove almost 66,000 holiday rentals from the platform which it said had violated local rules. Spain's Consumer Rights Minister Pablo Bustinduy told AP that the tourism sector 'cannot jeopardize the constitutional rights of the Spanish people,' which enshrines their right to housing and well-being. Carlos Cuerpo, the economy minister, said in a separate AP interview that the government is aware it must tackle the unwanted side effects of mass tourism. 'These record numbers in terms of tourism also pose challenges, and we need to deal with those challenges also for our own population,' Cuerpo said. 'Brewing for decades' The short-term rental industry believes it is being treated unfairly. 'I think a lot of our politicians have found an easy scapegoat to blame for the inefficiencies of their policies in terms of housing and tourism over the last 10, 15, 20 years,' Airbnb's general director for Spain and Portugal, Jaime Rodríguez de Santiago told the AP. 'If you look at the over-tourism problem in Spain, it has been brewing for decades, and probably since the 60s.' He says hotels are still the leading accommodation for tourists. In Barcelona, hotels accounted for 20 million tourists in 2024, compared with 12 million who used homes, according to local data. Rodríguez de Santiago notes the contradiction of Barcelona's Mayor Jaume Collboni backing the expansion of the city's international airport — announced this week — while still planning to wipe out the tourist apartments. That argument either hasn't trickled down to the ordinary residents of Barcelona, or isn't resonating. Escorsa, the teacher in Barcelona, doesn't just oppose Airbnb in his home city; he has ceased to use it even when traveling elsewhere, out of principle. 'In the end, you realize that this is taking away housing from people,' he said.
