Press Release1 July 2021Last week, as the summer travel season starts and the EU prepares to ease international travel further on July 1, hosts on Airbnb across Europe met with European policymakers to discuss the future.AdvertisementsCatherine Powell, Airbnbs Global Chief of Hosting, led the dedicated virtual session. Four Hosts were present, including two from Airbnb's new Host Advisory Board and EU policymakers from both the European Parliament (and the European Commission).These productive discussions were about how to best work together to rebalance tourist and ensure that travel returns are safe, sustainable, and beneficial to all. It was stressed that short-term rentals should be regulated clearly and fairly. Also, it is important to help rural communities provide authentic experiences for travelers.According to the latest Airbnb Report on Travel & Living (April 2021), rural travel is a top summer trend. This is because European travelers are starting to travel again. The volume of cross-border searches in Europe increased more than 50% in May 2021 compared to April. We are also seeing an increase in interest in less-populated areas. Airbnb booked less than 10% of all global nights in 2015 for rural travel. It accounted for more that twice as much and was even three times in some countries like France (45%), and the UK (48%)."We've been training for pandemic isolation for my rural area for over 200 years!" People are looking for escape after a pandemic. They're more likely to seek it in rural areas that have lots of green space and plenty of room for family activities. These places are close to their loved ones and those they live with. Marielle Terouinard is a host on Airbnb in Eure-et-Loir, France.Airbnb announced last month the largest top-to-bottom overhaul of its Airbnb service, inspired by the significant shift in the way people travel. This announcement highlighted the steps that simplify and streamline the process of becoming a Host. Half of all new listings that were activated and booked by early 2021 received a reservation request within four business days. The average annual earnings for Hosts who have hosted at least one guest was $9,000.The session also addressed the topic of regulation, and the need to have a harmonized approach for short-term rental regulations in Europe that is fair and equitable for home-sharing. Airbnb announced recently its support for specific industry proposals at EU level on short-term rentals. This included new progressive agreements with France and Greece, as well as the launch of the City Portal tool, which gives governments and tourism organisations access to data, insights, and compliance tools.These are the proposals in Airbnb's promise to The Great Rebalance of European Travel. This is a series of commitments to collaborate with communities throughout the region to spread economic benefits and prevent the return of overtourism, which sees too much tourism concentrated in too few areas.
