Airbnb's Impact in Spain

Studies show that short-term rentals, like Airbnb, have little to no impact on the availability or affordability of housing. Across the world, almost half of hosts say the income they earn from hosting helps them afford their homes. Three in four hosts rent just one home, typically for a few days a month¹. For example, according to internal Airbnb data, in Airbnb's top 50 cities around the world, entire-home listings booked for more than 90 nights in 2023 made up only 0.5 percent of the housing stock².

Instead, experts and economists agree that the biggest contributors to rising rents and prices are long-standing issues such as limited housing supply, zoning restrictions, and economic factors.

¹ By Gross Booking Value in the 12 months between Q2 2025 and Q1 2026.

² Excludes non-housing listings, such as hotels and listings that do not allow for short-term bookings (less than 28 days). Housing stock estimates include total dwellings by city and come from local statistical agencies using the latest year available.

Overtourism is overwhelmingly driven by large hotel chains, which account for the vast majority of visitors to popular destinations.

Airbnb is part of the solution because we help guests discover new destinations and spread the benefits generated by travel to more communities.

For example, according to internal Airbnb data, the majority of stays on Airbnb globally are outside of cities, and based on survey data more than half of Airbnb guests in the US (58%) said they would not have visited the community where they stayed if their Airbnb had not been available.

Today, approximately 80% of our top 200 locations around the world already have some type of short-term rental regulation in place. We have worked with more than 1,000 governments to balance the benefits of hosting with communities' needs.

Research has shown that strict regulations don't work. A report by Charles River Associates commissioned by Airbnb estimates that in NYC alone, short-term rental restrictions led to $197 million in lost host income, $638 million in lost business revenue, $82 million in lost taxes, and 2.6 million fewer guest nights. They found similar patterns in Boston, New Orleans, and Philadelphia. The report concludes, “when state and local governments pass stringent short-term rental laws that suppress competition, they undermine the city’s financial interests and impose far-reaching, substantial costs on the everyday members of their communities.”

Our work so far is just the beginning. We will continue to work with governments across the world to harness the positive impacts of our platform for supporting families and making communities stronger.

One way that Airbnb creates benefits for communities is by generating additional tax revenues. We have partnered with governments and authorities across the world to help hosts understand their obligations and to help make it easier for them to pay what they owe. In fact, we have collected and remitted $17.3B+ in tourist taxes globally on behalf of hosts.

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5 million hosts who have welcomed over 2.5 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays, experiences, and services that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.

This is only possible because Airbnb is designed to build trust and promote safe stays. So whether you host, travel, or live next door, we are committed to building effective tools and policies paired with strong enforcement to support community safety, responsible travel, and being good neighbors. This commitment includes a ban on unauthorized parties and indoor cameras; requiring secure payments and background checks; and developing tools to help block high-risk reservations. Airbnb also connects neighbors with neighbors during times of crisis through airbnb.org.