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Airbnb under investigation by EU over gatekeeper status
Reading Time: < 1 minuteEurope: Airbnb has challenged claims that it qualifies as a ‘gatekeeper’ under the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), after being added to a compliance list earlier this month.
Goliday closes pre-seed round and launches in the UK
Reading Time: < 1 minuteAustria / France: Short-term rental software-as-a-service [SaaS] startup Goliday has announced that it has launched in the UK and closed a pre-seed funding round.
STR groups urge Catalan administration rethink on Barcelona ban
Reading Time: 6 minutesEurope / Spain: Short-term rental groups and booking platforms across Europe have urged the city of Barcelona to reconsider its crackdown on the sector’s activities, five months after Socialist mayor Jaume Collboni pledged to ban all tourist rentals by late 2028.
European Union to hike VAT on sharing economy platforms
Reading Time: 2 minutesEstonia / EU: EU diplomats have reached an agreement on VAT [value-added tax] rule reforms that would result in tax hikes for sharing economy platforms including Airbnb and ride-sharing service Uber after Estonia dropped its previous veto position.
Eurostat: Bookings via OTAs rise by 28.3 per cent in Q1 2024
Reading Time: 2 minutesEurope: During the first quarter of 2024, guests spent 123.7 million nights in short-term rental accommodation in the European Union, booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia Group or TripAdvisor, according to the EU’s statistical agency Eurostat.
Airbnb & Expedia earn EU court backing in Italian financial dispute
Reading Time: 2 minutesEurope: Online service platforms including Airbnb, Expedia, Google and Amazon have all won a European court battle against an Italian law that would have required them to disclose more information and make financial contributions.
ISCF chair welcomes signing of EU data-sharing regulation
Reading Time: 3 minutesEurope: The Irish Self-Catering Federation [ISCF], the largest representative body for self-catering properties in Ireland, has welcomed the signing of the EU’s regulation on short-term rental data collection and sharing in Brussels as having “positive, long-term consequences for the sector”.
Industry leaders address regulatory landscape at VRMA Europe
Reading Time: 3 minutesFrance: Paris hosted the first Vacation Rental Management Association [VRMA] European Conference since 2019 as global short-term / vacation rental professionals gathered in Paris for an educational event building industry collaboration.
EU legislation moves closer as Parliament reaches data agreement
Reading Time: 3 minutesFrance / EU: EU regulation on data collection and sharing relating to short-term accommodation rental services has moved yet another step closer after the European Parliament approved an agreement reached in November with negotiators from member states.
EU rules edge closer after European Parliament vote
Reading Time: 3 minutesEurope: EU regulation on data collection and sharing relating to short-term accommodation rental services has moved a step closer after a vote in the European Parliament this week.