“The median income generated by Airbnb for hosts is 3,900 euros gross”

Clément Eulry, director of Airbnb for France and Belgium: “our activity is complementary to that of hotels”.

Clément Eulry is director of Airbnb for France and Belgium. He explains the challenges of hosting offered by the platform. He looks back at the impact of the Olympic Games on business.

How is the summer season looking for Airbnb ?

She presents herself very well. There are major trends, notably the Olympic Games, which benefit host cities and surrounding areas. There are also travel trends, with travelers seeking authenticity and locations as close as possible to the Games. Also with a great tendency for rurality and disconnection. And then, finally, a great dynamic in domestic travel: two thirds of Airbnb's activity in France are French people who travel across the national territory.

How can a region like Occitanie be impacted by the Olympics?

There are two things. Airbnb is present in 24,000 municipalities in France. We are the key player in anchoring tourism in France, including the Occitanie region. Beyond what we usually see, there are also 350,000 travelers and 1,800 jobs created or supported by our activity. This year, we expect great momentum across all regions, just before and just after the Olympics. Many travelers come to Paris, Lyon or Marseille for the Games and, afterwards, extend their stay in other regions. We contribute to the attractiveness of territories.

Have potential vacationers given up coming in view of the Olympics and the observed increase in accommodation prices?

What we observe is that activity has never been as dynamic as this year. The Olympics are an exceptional and, for Airbnb, historic event. This is the biggest event for us. The destination France and the destination of all of its territories are doing very well this year. I see a positive dynamic and what I note is that the number of travelers is growing steadily.

Is there an increase in hosts, i.e. people who rent out a property?

If we look at Ile-de-France, land of the Games, there will be 130,000 accommodations during the period of the event. At the end of the first quarter of this year, compared to the first quarter of 2023, there were 40% more accommodations. It’s obviously stronger near the host cities, but there is momentum thanks to the ripple effect. And then for hosts, it’s a way to supplement their purchasing power and for travelers to be as close as possible to the sites they want to visit, as well as sites linked to Games than other sites.

What are the motivations of hosts who choose to rent out their property ?

For 60% of them, it’s a way to make ends meet. This is an addition of purchasing power. For several hundred thousand guests in France, the median income (which makes it possible to determine the level of wealth of one population in relation to another, Editor's note) generated annually is 3  900 euros gross. The additional purchasing power remains the main decision criterion. This represents a 13th month.

Is there a socio-professional profile of the hosts ?

Hosts are the mirror of their accommodation. If you are looking for a two-room apartment or a studio in the countryside or a very large apartment in the city center, you will notice that all socio-professional categories are represented. I remind you that you can be an owner as well as a tenant occupant, with the authorization of your owner.

How do you manage tensions with professionals in the traditional hotel industry?

The real subject is complementarity. What matters to me is to factualize the situation. There is complementarity geographically, in uses and over time. In France, 25,000 municipalities (out of the 34,955 in the national territory, Editor's note) have Airbnb and 7,000 have a hotel. The person who comes for one night in a city compared to the family who comes for a week on vacation, the usage is not the same. During major events, such as the Olympic Flame, the Olympic Games, the Normandy Landings, the Francophonie Summit, etc.: we need the traditional hotel offering and the ;rsquo;tourist rental offer to welcome tourists. The study by Deloitte highlights the economic benefits of our activity. This is 43 billion euros of positive impact on the whole of France. It is an economic lung for the territories. It’s also 20 billion euros of consumption in the municipalities. That’s 5 billion in catering. That’s 360,000 jobs. We all have an interest in allowing development and preserving this activity for the benefit of travelers, guests, local businesses, local communities.

The criticisms focus on taxation.

I remind you that hosts are subject to income tax. We provide Bercy with all the revenue generated, host by host, in order to monitor this generated revenue. We respect all the rules. Tourist rentals bring in 5 billion euros in taxes in France. It’s not nothing.

Have all municipalities implemented taxes?

Any municipality has the power to deliberate and vote on the application of a tourist tax. Once it does so, Airbnb collects and remits, on behalf of the hosts, this tourist tax to the communities. To the town hall in this case or to the urban community. That’s 187 million euros for the year 2023. That’s 1.4 million euros in Montpellier. It’s around 5 million in Hérault. These are therefore substantial sums to benefit the attractiveness of the territory.

How many municipalities have voted for the tax in France ?

There are 25,000 who voted for it and in which there is Airbnb, which is to say the overwhelming majority. Montpellier was one of the first, in the big cities, to have voted for it.

How do you see Airbnb evolving in the years to come?

Even more dispersion in territories with more rurality. A third of reservations are made in towns with less than 3,500 inhabitants. This is a major axis of our development, for the benefit of everyone. Beyond that, we will develop new service offerings, with more experiences, such as activities beyond overnight stays. We will also add, in the medium term, services for travelers and hosts. We want to ensure that Airbnb remains a major tool for authentic travel, discovery of territories and purchasing power for hosts. The Deloitte study also shows that the impact on rural areas, such as Lozère for example, is 8 billion euros.

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