The platform gives the example of Prague and Lisbon (parish of Santo António), where it says there are approximately three hotel rooms for every five local residents. This at a time when the European Union surpassed 3 billion nights in tourist accommodation last year, a new record.

In a statement, Airbnb calls on the leaders of the ten most visited cities in the EU (Paris, Rome, Barcelona, ​​Madrid, Berlin, Lisbon, Milan, Amsterdam, Vienna and Prague) to “address the devastating impact of hotels on the increase in over tourism”.

Last year alone, 289 new hotels opened in Europe, with a total of 38,681 rooms. By the end of 2024, this momentum continued with 1,661 hotel projects underway across Europe, adding almost 250,000 hotel rooms that are either under construction or in the planning stages. Many of these developments are in tourist cities such as Madrid, Lisbon and Porto.

“Europe needs more homes – not hotels – but cities are building more hotels, as housing construction in Europe approaches its lowest level in a decade,” the platform complains in the same statement.

The study, which compiles data from Eurostat and the World Tourism Organization, also shows that between 2021 and 2023, overnight stays in the ten most visited cities in the EU increased by more than 200 million – or 2.5 times – with hotels accounting for 75% of this growth.

Airbnb also highlights the “significant” economic impact of local accommodation, mentioning that for every euro spent by guests on the platform in Portugal, an additional 2.5 euros are generated in nearby businesses and services.

Another criticism is the fact that hotels are concentrated mainly in urban centers, while more than half of overnight stays (59%) on the Airbnb platform took place outside urban centers.

The platform also highlights that airlines and cruises also contribute significantly to the flow of tourists to historic centers. For example, Airbnb reports that in Lisbon, Amsterdam and Barcelona, ​​the number of cruise passengers increased by more than 50% between 2022 and 2023. In Lisbon, the increase between 2022 and 2023 was 54%, reaching a historic record of 758,328 passengers.