Round 15 years after Airbnb started, EU establishments are within the means of giving their remaining approvals to the world’s first template on methods to regulate our platform and trade. We not solely welcome this watershed second as a possibility to start a brand new chapter in {our relationships} with governments, however we imagine the management proven by the EU is an instance to the world.
When the primary Airbnb friends stepped into our San Francisco house in 2008, Brian, Joe and I might by no means have imagined how that have would blossom into the worldwide group we see right now.
Quick-forward 1.5 billion visitor arrivals, $180 billion earned by hosts, $9 billion paid to authorities in tourism taxes and Airbnb right now counts greater than 7 million listings in additional than 220 nations and areas globally.
We’re happy with our work with policymakers to assist native households share their properties, comply with the foundations and pay tax.
And whereas the corporate started in San Francisco, right now we see extra Airbnb hosts within the EU than wherever else on the earth. Airbnb is now an important a part of Europe’s tourism trade and an financial lifeline for a lot of households, with almost half of surveyed Airbnb hosts within the EU saying the extra revenue helps them afford the rising price of residing.
As extra Europeans have turned to internet hosting and travelling on Airbnb, our progress has generally outpaced native guidelines which have been unclear or outdated. We acknowledge this problem and have all the time sought to develop in collaboration with communities and governments. Whereas we all know there’s all the time extra work to be performed, we’re happy with our work with policymakers to assist native households share their properties, comply with the foundations and pay tax. At present round 80 % of our prime 200 markets globally have some kind of regulation in place.
We additionally see the challenges which have arisen from guidelines evolving concurrently and independently throughout the EU. Within the absence of clear regional steering, methods to write efficient native guidelines, get entry to information, defend housing and adjust to EU guidelines has, at occasions, been unclear. Exercise that’s welcomed in a single group has been restricted in one other.
In some circumstances, historic and burdensome native guidelines — which had been usually designed for resorts — exclude many on a regular basis Europeans from the financial and social alternatives supplied by internet hosting.
And whereas Airbnb, governments and regulators haven’t shied away from tough conversations on regulation — removed from it — the previous adage of ‘constructing the airplane whereas flying it’ has generally been acceptable.
How short-term leases ought to be regulated is a vital subject for a lot of causes. As a platform predominantly utilized by extraordinary folks — nearly 80 % of EU hosts share just one itemizing — we should acknowledge that the foundations written for our trade have a real affect on the lives of on a regular basis Europeans who use platforms like Airbnb to host and journey.
The overwhelming majority of the cash generated by stays on Airbnb goes to native households and their communities. Native hosts maintain as much as 97 % of the value they cost and over one-third of visitor spending takes place within the neighborhoods the place they keep — usually past typical vacationer hotspots, together with in lots of communities with few, or no, resorts.
The brand new guidelines strike a steadiness between embracing innovation and defending communities, in addition to offering a regional framework and guardrails that respect native autonomy.
On the similar time, we acknowledge the challenges posed by the recognition of journey in Europe, and the significance of guidelines that steadiness particular person freedoms with the necessity to defend housing and communities.
We due to this fact welcome the EU’s short-term rental initiative. The brand new guidelines will present a framework for member nations throughout the bloc on methods to regulate our trade in a good and proportionate method, whereas complying with EU legislation. Beneath these guidelines, native and nationwide authorities could have elevated entry to information on house sharing of their communities, offering they’ve clear, honest and proportionate native guidelines in place.
The brand new guidelines strike a steadiness between embracing innovation and defending communities, in addition to offering a regional framework and guardrails that respect native autonomy.
We thank the EU for its continued management on this matter and we need to leverage this second to start a brand new chapter in our collaborations with governments. We’re already assembly with policymakers throughout the bloc to debate how new guidelines can assist sustainable journey of their communities.
We additionally hope that the EU’s common sense instance on regulation can be seen the world over.
Past the EU, a decade-long wrestle over methods to steadiness particular person guidelines, freedoms, innovation and stability in relation to short-term leases might be seen the world over. Whereas the overwhelming majority of the world embraces house sharing as a constructive possibility for its residents, many authorities are asking themselves the identical questions on guidelines and rules, however coming to totally different conclusions about one of the simplest ways ahead.
So, whereas we welcome the EU being the primary authority to offer clear guidelines of the street on methods to regulate our trade, we hope it won’t be the final. We imagine these guidelines present a powerful framework for the EU, and are an instance to the world. We can be proactive in our work with policymakers throughout the area to make the brand new guidelines a hit for everybody.