There is reason to ask questions about the sale of trips and stays via intermediaries, even if no one disputes the legitimacy and the service. Many travelers increasingly like to book accommodation or air transport directly. It’s a social fact. We also tried to take stock of France where seasonal rental between individuals is very important.
Airbnb or Booking are shaking up the market
The study, entitled “The contribution of short-term rentals to the Greek economy”, carried out in collaboration with the Athens University of Economics and Commerce, reveals that the activity of short term rental brings a significant contribution to Greece’s GDP.
Speaking at the event, university professor Georgios Doukidis confirmed that Airbnb-style rentals are becoming a particularly important part of the Greek tourism sector through online platforms like Airbnb or Booking. They represent 21.5% of total overnight stays in Greece, while offering cheaper holiday alternatives. These rental offers also respond to growing tourist demand in areas with low hotel availability.
What was the number of overnight stays in 2022?
The number of nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments in Greece rebounded in 2022, after a spectacular decline with the onset of the covid pandemic. Despite the strong annual increase, the total number of domestic and inbound overnight stays remained below the peak recorded in 2019, reaching almost 133 million in 2022. It is not yet known whether this number includes seasonal rentals from individuals.
The development of seasonal rentals is crucial
The research concludes that the development of the short-term rental business is of crucial importance for the future of Greek tourism.
Meanwhile, in response to hoteliers’ demands to regulate this segment, the Greek Minister of Finance and Economy, announced that the ministry will strengthen the rules and increase sanctions for short-term rental operators from January 1 2024.
In France, in 2022 we saw more than 450* million commercial nights
From this figure, we can deduce the figure of 212 million hotel nights in 2022 (with camping)
(https://fr.statista.com/statistiques/491496/nombre-de-nuitees-hotel-france/).
This would make us more than 230 million nights in seasonal rentals of individuals
*https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/6537925
The final question
We can ask ourselves a question: while Greece considers seasonal rental between individuals as a contribution to GDP; why does France not take into account these revenues coming from abroad?
According to INSEE, tourism represents 5.5% of France’s GDP. The country would have earned nearly 58 billion euros*
Among the foreign customers who spent the most in France in 2022 are nationals of three border countries: Belgium with 7.3 billion euros, Germany with 6.5 billion and the United Kingdom with 6.2 billion . The United States ranks fifth with 5.6 billion in cumulative spending in 2022. Asset France underlines that the end of 2022 will be characterized by the dynamism of the British
