Alternatives to Airbnb: Sustainable accommodations for your next vacation!

Alternatives to Airbnb: Sustainable accommodations for your next vacation!

Barcelona, Spanien - The use of private accommodations via platforms such as Airbnb has increased significantly in recent years. This offers many options, but also leads to noticeable negative effects on the housing markets in many cities. Reisere reporter reports that the expansive business models of such platforms not only drive up rents, but also tighten the shortage of living space and displace locals. This problem has already led to anti-tourist demonstrations in popular holiday destinations such as Barcelona, ​​Mallorca and Tenerife, where sayings such as "Tourists Go Home" can be seen on walls.

particularly drastic measures were taken in Spain. The government has ordered Airbnb to remove over 65,000 advertisements, while Barcelona is planning to completely ban holiday apartments by the end of 2028. This problem not only limits Spain, but also affects other tourist hotspots such as Venice, Paris, Amsterdam and Rome. Travelers are therefore urgently asked to rethink the effects of their choice of accommodation and consider more fairer alternatives.

sustainable booking options

In addition, there are conscious where travelers can accommodate locals, and socialBNB , which offers accommodations from local NGOs and supports social projects such as school construction. Furthermore, natural houses private holiday homes, from tree houses to Tiny Houses, contributes to nature conservation by fleeing part of sales into corresponding projects.

Overview of the effects of Airbnb

While Airbnb is often criticized, a study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Working Management and Organization IAO shows that the platform in Germany has no significant influence on rental prices or the availability of living space. This investigation, which was carried out by Airbnb on behalf of Airbnb, finds that accommodations rented via Airbnb only make up 0.3 % of the German housing stock. Of these accommodations, only 0.07 % more than 90 days were rented out in 2023.

In cities like Berlin, the lack of housing is attributed to demographic factors such as population growth and inflation. It is estimated that around 140,000 apartments will be required by 2025. Even if Airbnb has a positive influence on tourism and local economy - for example through inexpensive alternatives to hotels - the influence on rental prices remains negligible compared to other economic factors.

76% of the accommodations in Germany rented over Airbnb are also only rented occasionally, which requires the creation of transparent and balanced rules for short -term rentals. Cities like Hamburg and Berlin have already issued regulations that require hosts or contact details in their advertisements. These efforts are supported by the new EU regulation for short-term rentals, which demands that cities can only request data from platforms if the local rules are appropriate.

It becomes clear that both travelers and providers of accommodations are responsible for promoting sustainable and fair tourism culture that meets both the needs of visitors and the local population.