Hungary's government is considering a plan to impose a moratorium on new Airbnb licences in Budapest and to raise taxes on short-term apartment rentals in the capital city, the economy minister said on Monday. Marton Nagy announced the plans about a month after residents of Budapest's sixth district voted to ban short-term rentals from 2026, the first such ban in one of Europe's most popular tourist destinations. Some residents in European tourist hotspots blame short-term lets for driving up home prices. In central Europe, Budapest was the most popular city for short-term stays in 2023 with 6.7 million guest nights, according to Eurostat, ahead of Vienna, Prague, Warsaw, Krakow and others. Eurostat figures show almost 719 million guest nights spent in the European Union were...
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In a record year for tourism revenues, Greece to ban new short-term lets in Athens
Ban to be in force for at least a year, tax on holiday lets to be increased A ban on new licences for short-term rentals in three districts in central Athens will be in force for at least a year, the Greek government said on Monday, also raising the tax on such holiday lets. Like many other European tourism destinations, Greece is seeking to balance a profitable industry fuelled by online platforms such as Airbnb with the needs of locals facing a housing shortage. A lack of housing and the rising cost of living prompted the country this month to announce an increase in a tax on short-term rentals, ban new licences in central Athens and give homeowners incentives to switch to long-term rentals. A view of the cityscape with the Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis hill seen in th...
Read MoreBarcelona, a top Spanish holiday destination, announced on Friday that it will bar apartment rentals to tourists by 2028, an unexpectedly drastic move as it seeks to rein in soaring housing costs and make the city liveable for residents. The city's leftist mayor, Jaume Collboni, said that by November 2028, Barcelona will scrap the licences of the 10,101 apartments currently approved as short-term rentals. "We are confronting what we believe is Barcelona's largest problem," Collboni told a city government event. FILE PHOTO: Tourists and locals take pictures as they celebrate the beginning of summer at Barceloneta beach in Barcelona, Spain June 24, 2023. REUTERS/Nacho Doce The boom in short-term rentals in Barcelona, Spain's most visited city by foreign tourists, means some resi...
Read MoreThe Italian city of Florence on Thursday announced an immediate ban on new short-term private vacation rentals in the Renaissance city’s historic center, part of an effort to draw full-time residents back to one of Italy’s most popular tourist destinations. Mayor Dario Nardella called the ban “daring” but legally defensible. “If we don’t try to take politically disruptive actions, no one makes a move,” Nardella said, referring to expectations that the Italian government would adopt a plan that so far allows only Venice to cap the number of days a property can be rented out at 120. FILE PHOTO: A view shows the Ponte Vecchio bridge and the Arno River in Florence. The Ponte Vecchio, or Old Bridge, crosses the River Arno at its narrowest point. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau “We are tired...
Read MoreConvinced that the boom in leisure travel is permanent, Airbnb aims to expand its listings by convincing more people to turn their homes into short-term rentals. The company said Wednesday that it will increase the amount of liability coverage for hosts, up to $3 million, in a play for owners of nicer houses in high-cost places such as California. It will also pair newbies with a “superhost” to guide them through the process of becoming a short-term landlord, from signing up through welcoming their first guest. More listings would not seem to be Airbnb’s biggest challenge. CEO Brian Chesky says the San Francisco company is taking steps to make price more transparent when consumers browse Airbnb listings, and he predicts that will reduce sky-high cleaning fees that many hosts tack...
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