EDITOR'S COMMENT
Lisbon is fast becoming the epicentre in Europe for the fight against disproportionate short-term rental regulations. No sooner had the new Portuguese Government revoked the former Socialist regime's previously stringent STR restrictions, residents in the capital city are not backing down and accepting it - instead proposing a holiday rental ban in residential blocks.
The debate over tourism and affordable residential housing supply in Portugal has raged for some time but the issue has again hit the global headlines. Having revoked its previous Mais Habitação [More Housing] programme, the government has introduced a decree law that will empower municipal councils to make decisions on licences and registrations, instead of implementing a blanket nationwide ban on new licences and registrations.
STR - or alojamento local [AL] - proponents such as industry association ALEP and Airbnb believe that short-term rentals can co-exist with other housing models to both capitalise on the influx of tourists and not exacerbate Lisbon's supply shortage.
On the other hand, activists from Movimento Referendo pela Habitação [The Movement for a Housing Referendum] argue that a ban on holiday rentals in residential blocks would address rising rent levels and real estate prices, as well as anti-social behaviour.
Among the wave of overtourism protests that have sprung up, 2025 must bring more honest conversations about how to deal with rising visitor levels, surging population growth and affordable housing shortages. Lisbon and Portugal have been held up as beacons of balanced and proportionate STR regulations, despite obvious lodging challenges and foreign visitor numbers reaching record levels of growth in H1. When communication between parties with seemingly conflicting interests breaks down, it only perpetuates anger and resentment with no hope of an amicable solution. Residents and hospitality providers have more in common than we are different - we all want to create a thriving, sustainable housing ecosystem and we all want to meet the demands of the local communities we serve.
• We're back on STRz webinar duties tomorrow at 4pm GMT for an unmissable session on 'New channels of distribution: How social media is shaping travel choices'. Our speakers include Ben Wolff [Onera / Oasi], Daniela Derin [Skol Apartments Marbella], Rosie Willan [Stay the Night] and Ryan Thompson [Seeking Discovery] - sign up here.
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