2 ms·

This a million time, I truly believe AirBnB has changed the world for the better. The real problem in the US is that cities are not built for density, and thus

by baby 5y ago

This a million time, I truly believe AirBnB has changed the world for the better. The real problem in the US is that cities are not built for density, and thus are not prepared for tourism. Tourism is usually good from the point of view of people and commerces: it brings money and life to districts.

cycomanic 5y ago
Well there have been several studies which concluded that the economic costs out weight the benifits. This has also nothing to do with density US vs Europe. In fact I suspect that many European cities are hit much worse than most US cities, because they are much more popular tourist destinations (the city with the most Airbnb lisings is London). Centres of some popular destinations (e.g. Nice) are now almost completely short term rental. The knock-on effect is that, even for the few long term residents the city is becoming less liveable because supermarkets are moving out and tourist shops are moving in. Essentially, short term rentals are turning many old city centres into something akin to Disneyland, an attraction park with nobody actually living there, because they can't afford to.
- dorchadas 5y ago
  This exact thing actually happened in the States already. Gatlinburg, Tennessee is a prime example of it. 50 years ago the workers in the area lived there, now they've all been driven out by short term rentals and everything is pretty much tourist hell.
- baby 5y ago
  > the economic costs out weight the benifits That feels very subjective. I’d rather live in lively city than a ghost town.
  - dorchadas 5y ago
    A lively city of tourists? Because there certainly aren't locals living in that city because they're all being driven out. Also lively cities existed well before AirBnB, and AirBnB isn't essential to having a 'lively city'. In fact, I'd argue it's detrimental as all the actual residents that give the city its color get pushed out.
    - inglor_cz 5y ago
      Writing from Prague, where the # of tourists has gone significantly down (to the levels of late 90s or so), life is so much better. In my opinion, there is such a thing as overtourism and we have entered that territory right before covid. Narrow medieval streets stuffed chock-full of people (sometimes I wondered how no one gets trampled to death). So, so many tourist traps selling weird shit. Flocks of Segway riders dispersing pedestrians. Locals living there for decades were pushed out by short term rentals. Plus, the unhappy fact that especially young British guys arrived with only one objective, to get monumentally sloshed on (relatively) cheap booze. Then fight the police or random civilians, puke everywhere etc. Oh the joy, straight out of William Hogarth's morality pictures, only with modern clothing. Tourism makes money, yes. But it can be overdone. And I wonder what the effects are for further development of the country. If you have a choice between studying something hard (engineering) and getting your money from neverending flocks of tourists that come your way, the end result may be societal laziness.
      - baby 5y ago
        It’s funny because praha and Czechia wouldn’t be what they are today (one of the richest countries in eastern europe) without the tourism. People talk a lot about NIMBYism, this is it.
        inglor_cz 5y ago
        Nonsense. Tourism was 3 % of our GDP in 2019 and half of that number is internal tourism (Czechs traveling around their own country). Nice to have, but far from crucial. This is an old industrial country, a former industrial hotspot of the Austrian empire. A few very old cities (Telč, Český Krumlov) really live off tourism and would collapse without it, but Prague is a modern metropolis and mostly lives off normal economic activity, just like any other major city in Europe.
    - baby 5y ago
      Yet would you say that hotels were/are essential to tourism?
baud147258 5y ago
dense European cities have also issues created by AirBnB, mostly with flats going from long-term rental (for residents) to short-term rental (for tourists).
- baby 5y ago
  Which benefits tourists

by baby 5y ago

cycomanic 5y ago

Well there have been several studies which concluded that the economic costs out weight the benifits. This has also nothing to do with density US vs Europe. In fact I suspect that many European cities are hit much worse than most US cities, because they are much more popular tourist destinations (the city with the most Airbnb lisings is London). Centres of some popular destinations (e.g. Nice) are now almost completely short term rental. The knock-on effect is that, even for the few long term residents the city is becoming less liveable because supermarkets are moving out and tourist shops are moving in. Essentially, short term rentals are turning many old city centres into something akin to Disneyland, an attraction park with nobody actually living there, because they can't afford to.

dorchadas 5y ago
This exact thing actually happened in the States already. Gatlinburg, Tennessee is a prime example of it. 50 years ago the workers in the area lived there, now they've all been driven out by short term rentals and everything is pretty much tourist hell.
baby 5y ago
> the economic costs out weight the benifits That feels very subjective. I’d rather live in lively city than a ghost town.
- dorchadas 5y ago
  A lively city of tourists? Because there certainly aren't locals living in that city because they're all being driven out. Also lively cities existed well before AirBnB, and AirBnB isn't essential to having a 'lively city'. In fact, I'd argue it's detrimental as all the actual residents that give the city its color get pushed out.
  - inglor_cz 5y ago
    Writing from Prague, where the # of tourists has gone significantly down (to the levels of late 90s or so), life is so much better. In my opinion, there is such a thing as overtourism and we have entered that territory right before covid. Narrow medieval streets stuffed chock-full of people (sometimes I wondered how no one gets trampled to death). So, so many tourist traps selling weird shit. Flocks of Segway riders dispersing pedestrians. Locals living there for decades were pushed out by short term rentals. Plus, the unhappy fact that especially young British guys arrived with only one objective, to get monumentally sloshed on (relatively) cheap booze. Then fight the police or random civilians, puke everywhere etc. Oh the joy, straight out of William Hogarth's morality pictures, only with modern clothing. Tourism makes money, yes. But it can be overdone. And I wonder what the effects are for further development of the country. If you have a choice between studying something hard (engineering) and getting your money from neverending flocks of tourists that come your way, the end result may be societal laziness.
    - baby 5y ago
      It’s funny because praha and Czechia wouldn’t be what they are today (one of the richest countries in eastern europe) without the tourism. People talk a lot about NIMBYism, this is it.
      - inglor_cz 5y ago
        Nonsense. Tourism was 3 % of our GDP in 2019 and half of that number is internal tourism (Czechs traveling around their own country). Nice to have, but far from crucial. This is an old industrial country, a former industrial hotspot of the Austrian empire. A few very old cities (Telč, Český Krumlov) really live off tourism and would collapse without it, but Prague is a modern metropolis and mostly lives off normal economic activity, just like any other major city in Europe.
  - baby 5y ago
    Yet would you say that hotels were/are essential to tourism?

baud147258 5y ago

dense European cities have also issues created by AirBnB, mostly with flats going from long-term rental (for residents) to short-term rental (for tourists).

baby 5y ago
Which benefits tourists