Airbnb Adds Tools to Promote Tourism, Enforce Short-Term Rental Laws

Airbnb has expanded its City Portal to more than 430 jurisdictions worldwide over the past three years.

Launched in 2020, the City Portal provides local governments and tourism organizations with insights into the Airbnb landscape and tourism trends in their communities, Airbnb said in a Thursday (Feb. 22) press release.

Continuing to innovate this platform based on feedback, Airbnb has also introduced new features to the City Portal to enhance user engagement and responsible hosting practices, according to the release.

“The updates to the City Portal are part of our ongoing efforts to work collaboratively with lawmakers to balance the benefits of home sharing with the needs of communities,” Airbnb said in the release.

Users now have access to tools to connect with their local Airbnb Host community and request a Responsible Hosting Page for easy compliance with local short-term rental laws, according to the release.

Moreover, expanded data insights within the City Portal help city leaders and tourism officials make informed decisions about short-term rentals and tourism, including guest metrics, traveler origins, spending averages and top local business recommendations from Hosts, the release said.

In striving for improved compliance, the City Portal now offers streamlined capabilities for local governments to enforce short-term rental laws by easily identifying listings that violate regulations and taking necessary actions, per the release.

These efforts are part of Airbnb’s ongoing commitment to supporting local governments and communities, as seen through initiatives like the Airbnb Housing Council, aimed at addressing housing affordability challenges in partnership with experts, elected officials and academic institutions across the United States, the release said.

Additionally, Airbnb is actively working to promote tourism in smaller communities by offering guidance on effective short-term rental policies and encouraging the use of resources like the City Portal to ensure tourism strengthens these emerging destinations, per the release.

Airbnb reported Feb. 13 that the number of nights and experiences booked through the platform in the fourth quarter was 12% higher than the same quarter the previous year.

During the company’s quarterly earnings call, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said that during the quarter, “we also saw sustained double digits of high growth across all regions.”