Results also show how such services can lead to a more diversified tourist offer, offering better prices (63%), better facilities (49%) and better locations (43%).
On the other hand, the rapid rise of these services can be felt far beyond the tourism ecosystem: 45% the people surveyed find that more tourists can lead to higher noise, congestion and waste in the broader community and negative effects on prices and availability of housing (42%).
On behalf of the European Commission, Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Ipsos European Public Affairs conducted a Flash Eurobarometer survey about short-term rentals in the EU, booked via platforms.
A short-term rental in the context of this survey is defined as a room in a private residence (not a hotel room), or an apartment or house booked via a platform.
At the country level, the proportion of ‘current users’ varies between less than one in six in Austria (12%), Germany (13%), Italy and Portugal (both 16%) to close to one in two in France (47%).
Respondents who have booked a short-term rental via a platform do so, for example, because this type of accommodation is cheaper (mentioned by 63%), offers better facilities for their needs (49%) and/or is better located (43%).
The disadvantage selected most frequently is that short-term rentals cause an increase in nuisance by tourists, such as noise, congestion and waste, selected by 45% of respondents.
The second most mentioned disadvantage, selected by 42% of respondents, is the negative impact on price and availability of housing from short-term rentals.
