Airbnb Register threatens to destabilise rural tourism economies.

Leader of Independent Ireland, Michael Collins TD, has sharply criticised the government’s proposed Airbnb Register, warning that it threatens to destabilise rural tourism economies.

The initiative, brought forward by Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Peter Burke, aims to restrict short-term lettings in a bid to increase housing supply. But Collins argues that the policy is based on flawed assumptions and will have far-reaching negative consequences for tourism-dependent communities.

“Plans to target Airbnb hosts will further undermine local economies and hit west Cork tourism,” Deputy Collins said. “Short-term rentals are a vital part of the rural Irish economy. We need them for accommodation for tourists and contract workers. The idea that 12,000 houses will 'go back to being long-term rentals' is simply not true.”

Many of the properties currently used for short-term lets, such as tree houses, yurts and converted granny flats, were never suitable for long-term rental in the first place. “They were built specifically to serve a growing tourist demand,” Collins explained. “And we also have people who own holiday homes and rent them when not in use themselves. These homes bring vital revenue and footfall to towns and villages, keeping small businesses alive.”

“I also think it is important to say that while Government is telling us this is about freeing up housing supply, there are no guarantees that Government or the department of Integration or the Department of Justice will not swoop in and simply push for the properties that do become available to be used for the accommodation of international protection applicants, effectively leaving the homelessness problem among our population unaddressed.” “I am aware that there are proposals to exempt certain rural areas beyond a population threshold of 10,000 but again what confidence can we have that is threshold will remain in place and what confidence can we have that it is not just a holding ploy to placate or silence rural TD’s who are already expressing serious reservations about these proposals.”

“Destabilising the local economy in which people work while claiming to support their housing needs is not a coherent policy. We’ve seen this issue kicked around since 2022, sent to the European Commission and bounced back again. Yet Cabinet and departments still can’t agree on its impact. That’s telling.”

According to Deputy Collins, there is already an ongoing crisis in the accommodation sector across the region, made worse by what he described as “years of uncontrolled inward immigration”. He questioned the sincerity of government proposals to exempt certain rural areas, calling such measures “a holding ploy to placate or silence rural TDs”.

“I remain far from convinced that what is on the table will work,” he said. “But I am certain it will hit tourism both here in West Cork and at a national level, we have seen that visitors to Ireland decreased by 30 per cent in February, and I am convinced that this latest move will further negatively impact the industry – that is something I and my party will not accept.”