Beyond the big touristic city: nature and distribution of Airbnb in regional destinations in Catalonia (Spain)

Abstract

Airbnb, as the world’s best-known short-stay rentals’ platform, is disrupting tourism everywhere, but studies into its growth and impact have been mostly limited to international urban destinations. To cover this gap, this study uses a database of 32,421 Airbnb listings obtained from its website to analyse, using a correlational and a linear regressions analysis, their distribution and nature across Catalonia’s 946 municipalities (excluding Barcelona city) and measuring their embeddedness in the formal accommodation sector and in the regulated tourist system in the region. Results show that Airbnb has particularly grown in mature traditional destinations, presenting a predominantly commercial model and playing an additive role. This study also reveals Airbnb as a new actor in the regulated tourist system in Catalonia thanks to the use of a legal figure (HUT) to channel its development, which also gives the platform a great potential for expansion. This study can be useful for municipalities and regulatory agencies’ decision-making in those destinations where Airbnb’s presence could be particularly disruptive.