Airbnb Launching an Effort to Address Overtourism It Helped Create
Skift Take
The Airbnb effect has helped transform many neighborhoods around the world, and some before they were fully ready for mass tourism. The company is acknowledging that it knows it has an impact. But let's see if major cities where the real problems exist will get the same treatment as rural villages in Africa.
Airbnb, which has helped spur tourism growth in many regions of the world, said Tuesday it was creating an office of healthy tourism to tackle overcrowding by visitors that has increasingly put strains on local economies.
Healthy tourism, or Airbnb's term for proper tourism growth management, was coined after 31 million travelers stayed in an Airbnb in the United States in 2017, according to data released by Airbnb this week. In addition, some 38 million U.S. travelers stayed in an Airbnb in another country last year.
It's unclear how much effort the office will devote to overtourism in destinations like New York, Paris, and Barcelona, which have recently seen a backlash from residents because of companies like Airbnb.
The office
