Airbnb, the short-term rental platform founded in 2007, continues to offer affordable accommodation options for travelers. “We’re seeing general growth on the platform, including in Austria — though in Vienna we’ve noticed a certain hesitancy among hosts since last year, due to relatively strict regulations,” said Ellen Madeker, Airbnb’s Head of Public Policy for the German-speaking region and CEE, in an interview with APA.

A building code amendment came into effect in the Austrian capital on July 1, 2024, banning commercial use of Airbnb in residential zones. In non-residential zones, rentals are limited to 90 days per year. Private home sharing — renting out one’s own home — is still allowed across the city. “We welcome the fact that home sharing remains possible,” said Madeker.

Uncertainty among hosts in Vienna

According to Airbnb, the company is striving to cooperate with the city of Vienna and remains in close contact with hosts. “We’ve informed hosts — there was uncertainty about certain rules, which kept us very busy over the past year,” Madeker explained.

Cities such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, and New York have also taken a more restrictive approach to Airbnb. In many of these places, soaring housing and rental prices have led to public protests. “The debate about housing is very intense internationally — and understandably emotional, since housing is a scarce resource,” she said.

Airbnb denies role in housing crisis

Madeker rejected the idea that Airbnb is a driving force behind the housing crisis. Instead, she called for stronger housing development and better use of vacant properties to address shortages. “According to Statistics Austria, the vacancy rate in Austria is 13.3 percent — that points to where the problems lie,” she said.

Airbnb listings for entire homes make up only 0.7 percent of Austria’s nearly 4.9 million housing units, the company reported Tuesday. That equates to around 34,400 listings nationwide. Hotel listings on Airbnb are not included in this figure. In Vienna, the Airbnb share is 1.4 percent — twice the national average but still relatively low.

Airbnb does not disclose the exact number of listings in each city. However, over 70 percent of hosts in Austria rented out only one full property last year, according to the report.

Nearly 2 million Airbnb guests in 2024

With nearly 2 million guest arrivals in 2024, Airbnb’s short-term rentals played a key economic role, the report states. Still, this represents only a small fraction compared to traditional accommodations, which welcomed 46.7 million guests last year.

In 2024, Airbnb hosts contributed more than €1 billion to Austria’s GDP and generated over €330 million in tax revenues. The typical host earned €5,400 from short-term rentals, based on median earnings among hosts with at least one booking. In total, hosts earned €286 million through Airbnb in 2024.

Rental prices rise despite restrictions

“Regulation alone won’t stop rents from rising,” Madeker emphasized. “Barcelona, New York, and Amsterdam have all imposed strict short-term rental rules, and in all cases, we’ve seen a steep drop in listings and a simultaneous surge in rental prices.”

In Amsterdam, Airbnb listings fell by 54% between 2019 and 2024, and by 24% in Barcelona — while rents rose by 34% and 37% respectively. “In New York, hotel prices have skyrocketed, and rents still went up,” Madeker said. She refrained from commenting on developments in Vienna, noting that it’s still too early to draw conclusions after one year of tighter rules.

“Disruptive business model” with stricter regulations

“Airbnb has long been a disruptive business model — and I understand that not everyone is pleased about that,” said Madeker, addressing criticism from the hotel industry. She rejected claims that Airbnb listings are unregulated. “Short-term rentals are heavily regulated, with long lists of requirements,” she said. “We have EU rules on data-sharing, national laws in Austria, and local city-level regulations.”

The city of Vienna expects the EU’s short-term rental regulation to increase transparency. Airbnb supports that goal and hopes that existing rules might be relaxed once clear data is available.

The impact of short-term rentals on property prices was not covered in the current Airbnb report. “We don’t want real estate speculation either — that helps no one: not Airbnb, not hosts, and not the cities,” Madeker added.

Founded during the 2007 financial crisis

Airbnb’s idea was born during the 2007 financial crisis in the U.S., when the founders sought a way to earn extra money to pay rent, according to the report. More than 15 years later, over 5 million hosts worldwide have welcomed more than 2 billion guests.

Ellen Madeker is responsible for Airbnb’s government and city relations in the DACH and CEE regions. “My role is to ensure we’re good partners to cities, especially when it comes to implementing EU regulations,” she said.