A study by the DAM research group examines the massive increase in Airbnb accommodation in Barcelona

The ratio of Airbnb accommodation per inhabitant in Barcelona is among the highest in Europe, with around 12 homes per 1,000 people, exceeding Rome (10), London (7) and Madrid (3), but below Paris (28) and Florence (24), according to data from the Airbnb portal from June 2019. That is the conclusion of a study by the Data Analysis and Modeling (DAM) research group at the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia, carried out by the researchers Raymond Lagonigro and Joan Carles Martori and the researcher Phillipe Aparicio of the Institute Nacional de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) in Canada, which involved analysing the spatial distribution of Airbnb accommodation in Barcelona in relation to the socioeconomic characteristics of the population and tourism indicators. The results of the study have been published in the scientific journal Applied Geography, in an article entitled Understanding Airbnb spatial Distribution in a southern European city: The case of Barcelona.

Among other effects, the proliferation of Airbnb accommodation in areas such as El Raval, El Poble Sec, La Barceloneta, Sant Pere and Santa Caterina i la Ribera led to a decline in population density levels and an increase in house prices ranging from 68% to 133% in the period between 2012 and 2018. The appeal of these neighbourhoods lies in the urban regeneration plans that the city implemented between 1990 and 2010, and the regeneration of the seafront in the Olympic Village area in 1992.

Family income levels, the population's level of education, the size of the home and the number of tourist attractions are the key factors influencing the geographical distribution of Airbnb accommodation, according to the data analysed using a statistical method which divided the city of Barcelona into 1,061 sections according to the census figures for each area.

The neighbourhoods in the city centre have the highest density of Airbnb accommodation

There were 19,819 Airbnb accommodations in Barcelona in June 2019, including private and shared homes and rooms. Accommodation becomes scarcer as the distance to the city centre increases. The highest density of Airbnb homes is located at tourist sites, which act as a showcase and attraction for visitors. The areas with the company's highest concentration of rental accommodation are the north-western part of Ciutat Vella, the Gràcia neighbourhood and some areas of the Eixample, and the Sagrada Familia in particular. More than 10% of homes in these neighbourhoods are advertised on the portal. Some census areas in the Eixample, Sant Pere and Santa Caterina i la Ribera district are the areas where most homes have been converted into Airbnb accommodation, with more than 30%.

Barcelona has seen a huge increase in tourism since 1990, when this sector became one of the city's major industries. Barcelona has been the fifth ranked city in Europe in terms of visits since 2010, with more than 30 million overnight stays by tourists in 2018, including hotels and other tourist accommodation.

According to the researchers, the city of Barcelona needs a stricter system for regulating Airbnb accommodation, a review of tourism accommodation licenses, and new urban policies if it is to cope with the massive increase and growth in rentals of this type in the city, and meet the urban challenge posed by this new system of rentals and tourism and its consequences, including rising prices and the decline in population density.

Photo by Aleksandar Pasaric on Pexels