Airbnb Remains 100% Committed to Partnering with Cities

“Since Airbnb was founded, hosts across the world have earned more than $80 billion by opening their homes to guests…” – Airbnb’s Nathan Blecharczyk

Airbnb has welcomed the recent ruling of the EU’s highest court, which rejected a French hotels association suit against the home sharing platform and says it remains “100 percent committed” to partnering with cities.

It is reminded that France’s Association for Professional Tourism and Accommodation (AHTOP) was calling on the court to rule that Airbnb must hold a real estate agent’s licence in order to operate in the country.

“The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that Airbnb should be regulated as an information society service and that a piece of 1970s-era French real estate law should not be applied to our platform,” Airbnb’s co-founder and chief strategy officer, Nathan Blecharczyk, said in a letter to major cities across Europe.

Blecharczyk said that Airbnb sees the ruling as a “positive step” for its continued collaboration with cities.

“…We have worked with governments across the globe on measures to help hosts share their homes, follow the rules and pay their fair share of tax.” – Airbnb’s Nathan Blecharczyk

“Indeed this case was always about how our platform should be regulated – not whether it should be regulated. Cities can, should and do have their own clear and modern rules for home sharing, and we have worked with governments across the globe on measures to help hosts share their homes, follow the rules and pay their fair share of tax,” he said.

According to Blecharczyk, already Airbnb has worked with more than 500 authorities globally and have partnered to collect more than $2 billion in hotel and tourist taxes on behalf of hosts and guests.

“We are eager to continue our strong relationships,” he said.

Underlining that “home sharing is good for cities and the people who live in them”, Blecharczyk informed that in 2018, travel on the Airbnb platform had an estimated direct economic impact of more than $100 billion in its top 30 markets globally.

“And since Airbnb was founded, hosts across the world have earned more than $80 billion by opening their homes to guests,” he said.

On a final note, Blecharczyk said that Airbnb remains 100 percent committed to partnering with cities.

“We want to ensure that our platform works for everyone and continue our close collaboration on innovative solutions to the challenges facing cities, while working together to generate new revenue streams for local families, businesses and communities,” he highlighted.