I was glad to see you tried to contact AirB&B ... that's a journalistic instinct. A lot of Substack writers don't bother to do that kind of thing and they just swing away.
It would have been better if they answered. If they did, what do you think they would have said to you?
I actually think the company does make an effort to do the right thing, and if they unilaterally decided not to accept short-term rentals in some area, another company would just step in. It's too lucrative.
It's just impossible to fight against market forces. There needs to either be some national regulation to force a change or just live with the consequences. Any kind of voluntary measure is going to be ineffective.
See the comment above. I'm not an Airbnb apologist and I do think the company is a catalyst for the problems we're seeing. But we can't blame them and think that is helpful. They're answering a consumer need. The rules need to change. We can't expect a company to voluntarily shoot itself in the foot.
When you rent an Airbnb apartment, you are preventing a local person from living in their own town, or city. I am sure it is not that simple, but in my town, it is in your face all the time. The apartment below mine has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It is empty from October until Christmas, and January to Easter. When the apartment is rented, it is 350+ a night. The math is simple. It shouldn't be. The owners are not taxed properly, young people have to stay with their parents, or travel huge distances to work. It is not a sustainable model.
The fact that you have to pretend to look local when you are travelling shows there is a problem.
On principle, I never stay in short term rentals, Airbnbs or other. I stay in a hotel, pay my city tax and I am grateful to be there.
'Tourist go home' does not make visitors feel good, nor does it solve the locals' problems, but it is a prickly reality. People are angry.
Tourism in my town has doubled since 2017. There is room for no more. I now leave in the summer, and no, I don't rent my apartment.
Of course I agree that a 'Tourist-go-home' sign isn't a great advertisements. But I think people are desperate and frustrated. The city of Florence eventually painted over that graffiti, but I don't know whether I should read into the fact that they left it up for 7 or 8 days before a painter got around to removing it.
I try to do as you do with hotels, but I obviously make some exceptions. Paying €1,100 a night for a hotel during the Olympics was a non-starter, as was staying 80 minutes away by train. Those were my options. In August, while traveling around Iceland, a lot of remote areas only had B&B options. But when it's feasible, I prefer a hotel and all that implies.
It's not reasonable to expect your downstairs neighbor to act against his/her own economic self-interest in the way they rent that place. I think the only real option is to change the incentives by law.
I don’t disagree. But to give you a sense, in my town generations live in these large apartments. 5 to 7 people would be normal. That is at least 3 who don’t have to travel and add to congestion. It also means homemade meals, elders who are part of the community. Instead, we have a service that comes in to clean, who don’t care how much banging they do, or how poorly the do their job. Our front door lock is damaged regularly, because the renters don’t remember their keys and ring all the doorbells up and down, or force the lock. The owners then have to pay for the locksmith to come, which is another 300 bucks. I am not the one spraying “Tourist Go Home”, but I would buy whoever is doing it a beer. I am so over it. It is obnoxious.
As for the Olympics… yeah, you have limited options unless you get out way ahead of it. Months, and months. I was at Torino in 2006. I was in a hotel, but it had been booked more than a year in advance.
I also strongly dislike how Airbnb has gutted neighbourhoods and distorted entire city centres, and I like your idea of making them longer term options only, but aren't you being a bit hypocritical by writing this essay from an Airbnb yourself? You mention you wouldn't have been able to afford your trip without Airbnb - what do you think about the Italian and non-Italian tourists who want to visit beautiful Rome? Hotel prices there are absolutely insane these days, so can you really blame them for opting for Airbnbs instead? Or is the solution to overtourism really just "price out the low to average earners so only rich people can afford to come"?
(Sorry if this comes across as argumentative, I'm not trying to be! It's just a complicated issue and, despite my personal misgivings about it, I'm not sure Airbnb is the only or main culprit here)
I agree about my being a bit hypocritical. In fact, that was the original lede for that section before switching to “full disclosure.” My rationale: it’s not contradictory to play by the rules as they are and also believe the rules should change.
But you’re absolutely right that it’s a complicated topic.
Of course I don’t think the non-wealthy should be priced out. But I also think Airbnb has pushed less expensive hotels from the market.
PS: I don’t mind anyone being politely argumentative, as you were. I enjoy having to reexamine things I believe.
Great stuff. As one of those regular tourists to Italy I feel 2 ways about this. When I travel over there, I wanna feel like a local and the best way to feel like a local is to be in an apartment. I do go to the store and I do cook and I make my own coffee. I also understand that the mass tourism in the Venice, Florence Rome triad is overwhelming, particularly for locals who just want their town back. The big question for me is what happens to Italy if tourism slows by 10%? What about 20% or more? Italy’s economy has been fragile forever and if tourism were to pull out by 20% I don’t see a big future based on economic trends of today and on that note I’ll say “see you next week” when I come visit you in Italy when I’m staying in my Airbnb!
We saw what happened when tourism was eliminated from the economic mix during the pandemic -- it was a disaster. In fast, it was so bad that Italy created incentives for it to rebound quickly and indiscriminately. I think the government should have applied regulatory scaffolding that would have allowed tourism to return in a more sustainable way. I don't think the result would be a reducing of tourism revenue by 10 or 20%.
Look at France: the country gets a third more tourists than Italy with roughly the same resident population and a similar geographic footprint, and yet it doesn't have nearly the same problems Italy. They also have more repeat visitors than Italy has and a higher level of average per-capita tourism spending. Why? Because tourism there is spread out and managed.
Same. In April I’m staying in my family’s Trulli property in Alberobello, so I’m glad I’m supporting their livelihood at least. I thought I was supporting locals by staying in AirBnBs. I wonder how much of this is location specific. My preference is always Puglia and Salento. This visit I explore the Basilicata 💕
This is a great point! I think this problem of hollowing out neighborhoods is limited to the historic centers of popular tourist areas.
I've never been to Alberobello (though it's intrigued me) and I don't know Puglia in general as much as I'd like to. But if it's like most of the small towns in southern Italy then the alternative to you or someone else staying in an Airbnb there is probably that it would be abandoned and eventually become a ruin. I haven't studied this. but I think someone who stays there is absolutely supporting the local community.
So first, you should definitely check out Alberobello... it really is fantastic (although I think it's one of the more touristy spots in Puglia). I certainly hope that as cultural visitors we are helping to support the local economy. What I do find concerning is the amount of tourists trying to buy up the property and turning them into vacation rentals.
It’s interesting the different perspectives we all have based on our experiences. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time driving around Basilicata and Puglia. But the day I visited Alberobello it was so full of tourists that my husband stayed in the car whist I went and took the obligatory photos of the famous trulli. Not sure how many people would’ve actually been staying in the town or in Airbnbs.
I think Airbnbs are about the only choice in Alberobello...I don't recall seeing many hotels there at all. And I agree, especially in mid-summer, it is a prime tourist location and can be more stressful than most other places in Puglia. It still amazing to see the architecture of those crazy little trulli. The one I'm staying in has a private indoor pool! I also found parts of Matera and Bari (near Basilica of San Nicola) quite busy. I still imagine they pale in comparison to chaos of Rome, Venice and the other hotspots.
In Matera we were fortunate to stay in a set of cave dwellings that has been lovingly restored by the owners. He has grown up in Matera. It meant we could enjoy everything when all the day trippers had left.
Brilliant post! I do the same thing actually— holding the keys was an unconscious thing until you mentioned it! Also never roll my bag on the cobblestones, even if it’s 4 blocks to the taxi stand. Just can’t be that person….
You're a better Eric than I am for carrying your bag instead of rolling it on the cobblestones!
But I do try to be discrete and I don't drag my bag up stairs. I'm just glad to know people are conscious about these kinds of impact. Being in Trastevere or Monti at night certainly provides plenty of evidence to the contrary!
Not a fan of Airbnb. I prefer hotels with staffed front desks. Not comfortable not seeing the person I am doing business with. And the cleaning charges, followed by instructions on how to clean the unit.
I’m with you. I’m staying in a B&B here in Milan but it’s because hotel prices were ridiculous. But I stay in hotels far more often than B&Bs.
Sadly, non-full service “services” are more and more common. Not just B&Bs, but now you pour your own drinks in restaurants, pump your own gas, bag your own groceries, book your own travel, now some stores make you be your own cashier, etc.
Interesting read, Eric! The phenomenon you describe can be seen everywhere in Europe where there's 'something to see'. I have overheard locals (who worked in a supermarket) complain about the fact that tourists 'destroyed' their town, and it wasn't even a well-know tourist destination. Major cities all suffer from this (lack of) tourism planning and regulating. And it's so tempting for people who can afford to buy a house not far from the center of such a must-see, fix it up a little and create two bnb's out of it. Easy money makes people ignore consequences over time.
I think the solution has to come from the top, through rules. We can’t count on property owners to “do the right thing” just because it’s the right thing.
I know it’s happening all across Europe. What’s crazy to me is to read commentary from Rome in the first century where they complain about the crowds, noise, and smell -- just as we do now (well, I guess, for the most part the smell isn’t too bad these days)
I think foreigners can buy if they want to, but what makes me bristle is when they transform a random, even non-assuming European town into a bizarro Disneyland, and then try to pontificate about the "European" (which one of the 40+ countries, sir?) way of living which to them is only accessible because they buy in a currency that stretches much further than whatever locals make.
There are rules in Italy about which door on the bus you can use to get on and which is for disembarking, there’s a rule about how close to closing you can enter a supermarket, and in some cities there’s one that make it illegal to feed seagulls. But nothing limiting single-night stays in dying neighborhoods. Very lungimirante!
Yes, exactly! Perfect summary. Political will and vision! There aren't many problems in the world that couldn't be solved by a combination of those two qualities. Too bad they're in short supply.
I'm struggling at connecting two dots that might not need to be connected. Does the multi-generational ownership of properties in Italy's most touristy areas help or exacerbate this problem?
I’m not sure. I’d guess that makes it harder for corporations to get a foot in the door. But I’d also guess weak job markets create incentives for people to rent out the house they inherited and to live in a less desirable area.
Many of the points you raised resonated with me, especially because they intersect with themes I often explore in my own writing.
Personally, I prefer using HomeExchange, a house swap platform built on a points system rather than direct payments. You make your home available and earn points, which you can then use to stay in someone else’s place. Because no money changes hands between hosts and guests, many of the core problematic dynamics linked to short term rental platforms are structurally eliminated.
I’ve wondered about HomeExchange and similar systems for some time … I know the concept but I don’t know much else about it. I’m going to DM you, Giulia.
Similar situation in Hawaii where I live ; but there are reasonably priced hotels on main island Waikiki-people are revolting against gutted out neighborhoods ,legislation slow to follow
I love Rome and annually stay in the same small hotel near Termini train station
I’ve been visiting Sorrento for years and stay in the same Airbnb ,owner tells me property is seasonal -
I believe the answer is to increase minimal stay in Airbnb’s and as coastal areas in California have done,maintaining neighborhood character
Termini’s the one part of Rome where there are still plenty of modest-priced hotels. I think the reason for that is that it largely stopped being residential long ago, and the concentration of hotels limited the appeal of B&Bs at a similar price level. But in other parts of the city, I think the B&Bs have pushed modest hotels out of the market. A B&B will never complete against a full-service luxury property, but they can definitely take a mom-and-pop two-star 16-room hotel down.
I am, like many other people my age, an Italian whose parents were able to buy property when the economy was great. But the wealth Italians built was based on the lack of lungimiranza, as you said: unauthorised buildings, work paid off taxes, mountains of dirty money that had to be used up. While that allowed for our parents and grandparents to build and buy the houses we currently inhabit, it left us a country with low wages and sh*t work ethics and rules. Some rich people are buying entire villages to be turned into hotels, while people who survive on ridiculously low salaries but were lucky enough to inherit property are able to make half a living thanks to Airbnb. Long term rentals are out of the question: too risky; no one would put their apartment - their only asset - in jeopardy.
I see the problem and not the solution. I hate millionaires buying off entire areas or historical buildings so that they can turn them into airbnbs, but I understand Italians who’d do anything to get in extra money. A huge chunk of our economy is built on tourism. It should be up to the government to do something to make life in Italy livable, so that Italians don’t feel like they have to rent every single broom closet for short term stays and millionaires stop buying off the country. But I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
A perennial problem. I am, like you, on a limited budget when I visit Italian cities. I simply gasp at the cost of most hotels, with the except of the really cheap ones near the train stations, and those always have *so* many stairs. I love the concept of Spot a Home and wish there were more options like that, ideally where you can rent a place for a week and pay something a bit closer to a local price. However, there will always be a need for a cheap place to stay for one night - sometimes when I arrive in Rome after a long-haul, I just need a place to crash before I head out to the rest of the country. Mayors and urban planners need to be thinking hard about this.
Eric, same as you I am dependant on Airbnb in all my travels within and beyond Italy's borders. Rarely for vacation, mostly for work. Very often my cat travels with me. Airbnb has been great during all these years - I have met wonderful people and have made a lot of friends who still host me but no longer through the platform.
Many years ago, Airbnb had the intention to allow not more than one privately owned home to become a vacation rental . This way the number of tourist places could be largely limited and regulated. Obviously, things took a different direction.
Airbnb is still a great resource - as long as we all make sure we rent from a real person and not prioritize the lower price.
I also wish I could travel like my daughter. Whenever she has to leave, she simply posts on Instagram "Crowd, I am going to be at... from... to... Who can host me?" This will probably never happen - until then I will have stay on Airbnb.
camoflague is important...my friend Jackie who has an apartment in Venezia often leaves the her palazzo pulling her pink shopping cart behind her so people will realize she is not a turista.
AirBNB is on the BDS list because they profit off short term rentals in occupied territories that have been illegally stolen by Israelis. That's enough for me. As far as short term rentals, I lime the idea of a minimum stay, not sharing. As a woman, I gave zero desire to come into a space with men who I do not know. Actually Airbnb rentals have been known to be unsafe for solo women travelers with hidden cameras, sexual assaults, and men entering when they shouldn't.
I was glad to see you tried to contact AirB&B ... that's a journalistic instinct. A lot of Substack writers don't bother to do that kind of thing and they just swing away.
It would have been better if they answered. If they did, what do you think they would have said to you?
I actually think the company does make an effort to do the right thing, and if they unilaterally decided not to accept short-term rentals in some area, another company would just step in. It's too lucrative.
It's just impossible to fight against market forces. There needs to either be some national regulation to force a change or just live with the consequences. Any kind of voluntary measure is going to be ineffective.
I bet they'd blah blah blah about everything their doing to help
See the comment above. I'm not an Airbnb apologist and I do think the company is a catalyst for the problems we're seeing. But we can't blame them and think that is helpful. They're answering a consumer need. The rules need to change. We can't expect a company to voluntarily shoot itself in the foot.
When you rent an Airbnb apartment, you are preventing a local person from living in their own town, or city. I am sure it is not that simple, but in my town, it is in your face all the time. The apartment below mine has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It is empty from October until Christmas, and January to Easter. When the apartment is rented, it is 350+ a night. The math is simple. It shouldn't be. The owners are not taxed properly, young people have to stay with their parents, or travel huge distances to work. It is not a sustainable model.
The fact that you have to pretend to look local when you are travelling shows there is a problem.
On principle, I never stay in short term rentals, Airbnbs or other. I stay in a hotel, pay my city tax and I am grateful to be there.
'Tourist go home' does not make visitors feel good, nor does it solve the locals' problems, but it is a prickly reality. People are angry.
Tourism in my town has doubled since 2017. There is room for no more. I now leave in the summer, and no, I don't rent my apartment.
Of course I agree that a 'Tourist-go-home' sign isn't a great advertisements. But I think people are desperate and frustrated. The city of Florence eventually painted over that graffiti, but I don't know whether I should read into the fact that they left it up for 7 or 8 days before a painter got around to removing it.
I try to do as you do with hotels, but I obviously make some exceptions. Paying €1,100 a night for a hotel during the Olympics was a non-starter, as was staying 80 minutes away by train. Those were my options. In August, while traveling around Iceland, a lot of remote areas only had B&B options. But when it's feasible, I prefer a hotel and all that implies.
It's not reasonable to expect your downstairs neighbor to act against his/her own economic self-interest in the way they rent that place. I think the only real option is to change the incentives by law.
I don’t disagree. But to give you a sense, in my town generations live in these large apartments. 5 to 7 people would be normal. That is at least 3 who don’t have to travel and add to congestion. It also means homemade meals, elders who are part of the community. Instead, we have a service that comes in to clean, who don’t care how much banging they do, or how poorly the do their job. Our front door lock is damaged regularly, because the renters don’t remember their keys and ring all the doorbells up and down, or force the lock. The owners then have to pay for the locksmith to come, which is another 300 bucks. I am not the one spraying “Tourist Go Home”, but I would buy whoever is doing it a beer. I am so over it. It is obnoxious.
As for the Olympics… yeah, you have limited options unless you get out way ahead of it. Months, and months. I was at Torino in 2006. I was in a hotel, but it had been booked more than a year in advance.
I also strongly dislike how Airbnb has gutted neighbourhoods and distorted entire city centres, and I like your idea of making them longer term options only, but aren't you being a bit hypocritical by writing this essay from an Airbnb yourself? You mention you wouldn't have been able to afford your trip without Airbnb - what do you think about the Italian and non-Italian tourists who want to visit beautiful Rome? Hotel prices there are absolutely insane these days, so can you really blame them for opting for Airbnbs instead? Or is the solution to overtourism really just "price out the low to average earners so only rich people can afford to come"?
(Sorry if this comes across as argumentative, I'm not trying to be! It's just a complicated issue and, despite my personal misgivings about it, I'm not sure Airbnb is the only or main culprit here)
I agree about my being a bit hypocritical. In fact, that was the original lede for that section before switching to “full disclosure.” My rationale: it’s not contradictory to play by the rules as they are and also believe the rules should change.
But you’re absolutely right that it’s a complicated topic.
Of course I don’t think the non-wealthy should be priced out. But I also think Airbnb has pushed less expensive hotels from the market.
PS: I don’t mind anyone being politely argumentative, as you were. I enjoy having to reexamine things I believe.
Great stuff. As one of those regular tourists to Italy I feel 2 ways about this. When I travel over there, I wanna feel like a local and the best way to feel like a local is to be in an apartment. I do go to the store and I do cook and I make my own coffee. I also understand that the mass tourism in the Venice, Florence Rome triad is overwhelming, particularly for locals who just want their town back. The big question for me is what happens to Italy if tourism slows by 10%? What about 20% or more? Italy’s economy has been fragile forever and if tourism were to pull out by 20% I don’t see a big future based on economic trends of today and on that note I’ll say “see you next week” when I come visit you in Italy when I’m staying in my Airbnb!
We saw what happened when tourism was eliminated from the economic mix during the pandemic -- it was a disaster. In fast, it was so bad that Italy created incentives for it to rebound quickly and indiscriminately. I think the government should have applied regulatory scaffolding that would have allowed tourism to return in a more sustainable way. I don't think the result would be a reducing of tourism revenue by 10 or 20%.
Look at France: the country gets a third more tourists than Italy with roughly the same resident population and a similar geographic footprint, and yet it doesn't have nearly the same problems Italy. They also have more repeat visitors than Italy has and a higher level of average per-capita tourism spending. Why? Because tourism there is spread out and managed.
Same. In April I’m staying in my family’s Trulli property in Alberobello, so I’m glad I’m supporting their livelihood at least. I thought I was supporting locals by staying in AirBnBs. I wonder how much of this is location specific. My preference is always Puglia and Salento. This visit I explore the Basilicata 💕
This is a great point! I think this problem of hollowing out neighborhoods is limited to the historic centers of popular tourist areas.
I've never been to Alberobello (though it's intrigued me) and I don't know Puglia in general as much as I'd like to. But if it's like most of the small towns in southern Italy then the alternative to you or someone else staying in an Airbnb there is probably that it would be abandoned and eventually become a ruin. I haven't studied this. but I think someone who stays there is absolutely supporting the local community.
So first, you should definitely check out Alberobello... it really is fantastic (although I think it's one of the more touristy spots in Puglia). I certainly hope that as cultural visitors we are helping to support the local economy. What I do find concerning is the amount of tourists trying to buy up the property and turning them into vacation rentals.
It’s interesting the different perspectives we all have based on our experiences. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time driving around Basilicata and Puglia. But the day I visited Alberobello it was so full of tourists that my husband stayed in the car whist I went and took the obligatory photos of the famous trulli. Not sure how many people would’ve actually been staying in the town or in Airbnbs.
I think Airbnbs are about the only choice in Alberobello...I don't recall seeing many hotels there at all. And I agree, especially in mid-summer, it is a prime tourist location and can be more stressful than most other places in Puglia. It still amazing to see the architecture of those crazy little trulli. The one I'm staying in has a private indoor pool! I also found parts of Matera and Bari (near Basilica of San Nicola) quite busy. I still imagine they pale in comparison to chaos of Rome, Venice and the other hotspots.
One can see one as they’re both beautiful.
In Matera we were fortunate to stay in a set of cave dwellings that has been lovingly restored by the owners. He has grown up in Matera. It meant we could enjoy everything when all the day trippers had left.
Brilliant post! I do the same thing actually— holding the keys was an unconscious thing until you mentioned it! Also never roll my bag on the cobblestones, even if it’s 4 blocks to the taxi stand. Just can’t be that person….
You're a better Eric than I am for carrying your bag instead of rolling it on the cobblestones!
But I do try to be discrete and I don't drag my bag up stairs. I'm just glad to know people are conscious about these kinds of impact. Being in Trastevere or Monti at night certainly provides plenty of evidence to the contrary!
Not a fan of Airbnb. I prefer hotels with staffed front desks. Not comfortable not seeing the person I am doing business with. And the cleaning charges, followed by instructions on how to clean the unit.
I’m with you. I’m staying in a B&B here in Milan but it’s because hotel prices were ridiculous. But I stay in hotels far more often than B&Bs.
Sadly, non-full service “services” are more and more common. Not just B&Bs, but now you pour your own drinks in restaurants, pump your own gas, bag your own groceries, book your own travel, now some stores make you be your own cashier, etc.
Interesting read, Eric! The phenomenon you describe can be seen everywhere in Europe where there's 'something to see'. I have overheard locals (who worked in a supermarket) complain about the fact that tourists 'destroyed' their town, and it wasn't even a well-know tourist destination. Major cities all suffer from this (lack of) tourism planning and regulating. And it's so tempting for people who can afford to buy a house not far from the center of such a must-see, fix it up a little and create two bnb's out of it. Easy money makes people ignore consequences over time.
I think the solution has to come from the top, through rules. We can’t count on property owners to “do the right thing” just because it’s the right thing.
I know it’s happening all across Europe. What’s crazy to me is to read commentary from Rome in the first century where they complain about the crowds, noise, and smell -- just as we do now (well, I guess, for the most part the smell isn’t too bad these days)
I think foreigners can buy if they want to, but what makes me bristle is when they transform a random, even non-assuming European town into a bizarro Disneyland, and then try to pontificate about the "European" (which one of the 40+ countries, sir?) way of living which to them is only accessible because they buy in a currency that stretches much further than whatever locals make.
There should be serious limitations to short-term rentals....
There are rules in Italy about which door on the bus you can use to get on and which is for disembarking, there’s a rule about how close to closing you can enter a supermarket, and in some cities there’s one that make it illegal to feed seagulls. But nothing limiting single-night stays in dying neighborhoods. Very lungimirante!
Airbnb, like billionaires, is a policy failure! These problems can be fixed, with a bit of political will and, well, lungimirante.
Yes, exactly! Perfect summary. Political will and vision! There aren't many problems in the world that couldn't be solved by a combination of those two qualities. Too bad they're in short supply.
I'm struggling at connecting two dots that might not need to be connected. Does the multi-generational ownership of properties in Italy's most touristy areas help or exacerbate this problem?
I’m not sure. I’d guess that makes it harder for corporations to get a foot in the door. But I’d also guess weak job markets create incentives for people to rent out the house they inherited and to live in a less desirable area.
Many of the points you raised resonated with me, especially because they intersect with themes I often explore in my own writing.
Personally, I prefer using HomeExchange, a house swap platform built on a points system rather than direct payments. You make your home available and earn points, which you can then use to stay in someone else’s place. Because no money changes hands between hosts and guests, many of the core problematic dynamics linked to short term rental platforms are structurally eliminated.
I’ve wondered about HomeExchange and similar systems for some time … I know the concept but I don’t know much else about it. I’m going to DM you, Giulia.
Sure, I’m happy to share my experience!
Similar situation in Hawaii where I live ; but there are reasonably priced hotels on main island Waikiki-people are revolting against gutted out neighborhoods ,legislation slow to follow
I love Rome and annually stay in the same small hotel near Termini train station
I’ve been visiting Sorrento for years and stay in the same Airbnb ,owner tells me property is seasonal -
I believe the answer is to increase minimal stay in Airbnb’s and as coastal areas in California have done,maintaining neighborhood character
-
Termini’s the one part of Rome where there are still plenty of modest-priced hotels. I think the reason for that is that it largely stopped being residential long ago, and the concentration of hotels limited the appeal of B&Bs at a similar price level. But in other parts of the city, I think the B&Bs have pushed modest hotels out of the market. A B&B will never complete against a full-service luxury property, but they can definitely take a mom-and-pop two-star 16-room hotel down.
I am, like many other people my age, an Italian whose parents were able to buy property when the economy was great. But the wealth Italians built was based on the lack of lungimiranza, as you said: unauthorised buildings, work paid off taxes, mountains of dirty money that had to be used up. While that allowed for our parents and grandparents to build and buy the houses we currently inhabit, it left us a country with low wages and sh*t work ethics and rules. Some rich people are buying entire villages to be turned into hotels, while people who survive on ridiculously low salaries but were lucky enough to inherit property are able to make half a living thanks to Airbnb. Long term rentals are out of the question: too risky; no one would put their apartment - their only asset - in jeopardy.
I see the problem and not the solution. I hate millionaires buying off entire areas or historical buildings so that they can turn them into airbnbs, but I understand Italians who’d do anything to get in extra money. A huge chunk of our economy is built on tourism. It should be up to the government to do something to make life in Italy livable, so that Italians don’t feel like they have to rent every single broom closet for short term stays and millionaires stop buying off the country. But I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
A perennial problem. I am, like you, on a limited budget when I visit Italian cities. I simply gasp at the cost of most hotels, with the except of the really cheap ones near the train stations, and those always have *so* many stairs. I love the concept of Spot a Home and wish there were more options like that, ideally where you can rent a place for a week and pay something a bit closer to a local price. However, there will always be a need for a cheap place to stay for one night - sometimes when I arrive in Rome after a long-haul, I just need a place to crash before I head out to the rest of the country. Mayors and urban planners need to be thinking hard about this.
Eric, same as you I am dependant on Airbnb in all my travels within and beyond Italy's borders. Rarely for vacation, mostly for work. Very often my cat travels with me. Airbnb has been great during all these years - I have met wonderful people and have made a lot of friends who still host me but no longer through the platform.
Many years ago, Airbnb had the intention to allow not more than one privately owned home to become a vacation rental . This way the number of tourist places could be largely limited and regulated. Obviously, things took a different direction.
Airbnb is still a great resource - as long as we all make sure we rent from a real person and not prioritize the lower price.
I also wish I could travel like my daughter. Whenever she has to leave, she simply posts on Instagram "Crowd, I am going to be at... from... to... Who can host me?" This will probably never happen - until then I will have stay on Airbnb.
camoflague is important...my friend Jackie who has an apartment in Venezia often leaves the her palazzo pulling her pink shopping cart behind her so people will realize she is not a turista.
Hahaha!
AirBNB is on the BDS list because they profit off short term rentals in occupied territories that have been illegally stolen by Israelis. That's enough for me. As far as short term rentals, I lime the idea of a minimum stay, not sharing. As a woman, I gave zero desire to come into a space with men who I do not know. Actually Airbnb rentals have been known to be unsafe for solo women travelers with hidden cameras, sexual assaults, and men entering when they shouldn't.