6 Reasons Why Airbnb Isn’t The Problem: Don’t Hate the Player, Hate the Game!

Why Blame Airbnb? It’s Time to Rethink the Housing Debate

Airbnb isn’t the villain, it’s something more sinister. Here’s the truth behind the over-tourism and housing crisis and how to fix it.

Remember the days when your only choices for travel accommodations were overpriced hotels or crowded hostels?

Then Airbnb changed everything!

Affordable rooms, homey apartments, and a kitchen all to yourself. But now, Airbnb is blamed for housing crises, over-tourism, and skyrocketing rents.

But is Airbnb really the villain here, or are we just being gaslighted?

If you’ve ever booked a short-term rental or relied on affordable travel options, this impacts you more than you think.

Let’s get to the real truth of the matter.

1. Why Blaming Airbnb for Over-Tourism Misses the Point

I still remember my first Airbnb in Strasbourg. It was a charming attic apartment overlooking cobblestone streets, with a view so perfect it felt like a postcard.

For less than a bland hotel room, I got a cozy kitchen, a comfy couch, and the feeling I’d stumbled into local life.

It felt like I’d won at travel. But now?

Airbnb gets blamed for turning cities into tourist traps and driving locals out.

Here’s the thing, over-tourism didn’t start with Airbnb.

Long before, places like Strasbourg’s Petite France were packed with tours, selfie sticks, and overpriced hotels squeezing out space for residents.

Blaming short-term rentals is like blaming the rain for a leaky roof. Airbnb didn’t “cause” this, it’s just thriving in a system that was broken long before it came along.

And if you think banning Airbnbs will fix the housing crisis or empty streets at night, you’re not going to like what’s really driving the problem…

2. The Dirty Little Secret of Empty Apartments

I once walked through Tbilisi’s Vake district at night, expecting warm glows of life from shiny new apartments.

Instead, I saw floor after floor of darkness, silent, empty, and lifeless. It wasn’t noisy Airbnb guests or tourists causing the quiet, it was, no one living there at all.

Here’s the truth: this isn’t just Tbilisi. Cities across the globe, Paris, Barcelona, New York, Kyiv, are littered with empty apartments.

I’m even seeing here in Saranda, Albania! It’s all around me, at this very moment!

Investors buy them as “assets,” letting them sit untouched for years, betting on rising property values.

No renters, no locals, no life, just pricey ghost buildings in neighborhoods where people are desperate for housing.

And yet, short-term rentals like Airbnb get all the blame.

It’s easier to point fingers at tourists than to talk about the deep-pocketed investors and policies that let entire buildings stay dark.

But here’s the thing, fixing this isn’t rocket science. So why aren’t we doing something it?

Well… maybe because the real culprits have the power to keep the lights off.

3. How Landlords and Real Estate Companies Are Playing You

I once checked reviews for an Airbnb I was considering, but the property had none. At first, the host’s profile seemed perfectly normal, until I dug deeper.

Turns out, this “host” wasn’t some local renting out their granny’s apartment, it was a real estate company with nearly 200 listings!

Not just in the same city, or even the same country, but across multiple countries.

That’s when it hit me: the problem isn’t the little guy renting a spare apartment, it’s landlords and corporations hoarding properties like a dragon sits on gold.

Why rent long-term when short-term guests will pay twice the price?

Cities let them get away with it, too, thanks to broken policies and loopholes you could drive a U-Haul through.

The result?

Rents skyrocket, housing disappears, and Airbnb takes all the blame while the real culprits get a free pass.

Think banning short-term rentals fixes this?

Nope.

Apartments stay empty, rents don’t budge, and the real estate giants laugh all the way to the bank.

And the worst part?

Fixing this mess is ridiculously simple, but no one seems willing to do it.

4. Why Banning Airbnb Won’t Save Your City

Cities love to ban Airbnb like it’s some kind of magic fix for housing shortages.

We’ve seen this all played out before folks and, newsflash, it’s not!

Rents stay high, apartments stay empty, and locals still can’t catch a break.

Take Barcelona or New York, they cracked down hard, only to watch illegal listings pop up like whack-a-mole.

Meanwhile, real estate companies just find sneakier ways to cash in, and those dark-windowed apartments?

Still there, collecting dust like overpriced trophies.

And here’s the thing, banning short-term rentals hurts the locals who actually “need” tourists.

The corner café, the tour guide, the family-owned shop, they’re the ones who lose when visitors are herded back into overpriced hotels.

So what’s the real solution? It’s not flashy, and it involves making investors play fair.

But trust me, slapping a ban on Airbnb is like putting a Band-Aid on a leaky dam, and the real flood’s coming from somewhere else.

But if you think governments will clean this up on their own, wait till you hear who they’re “really” protecting…

5. How to Fix the Housing Crisis Without Canceling Your Vacation

Let’s be honest, banning Airbnb isn’t going to magically solve the housing crisis.

But what if we stopped blaming the platform and started fixing the rules?

Imagine this: cities that actually build affordable housing, real estate investors who can’t hoard empty apartments in areas with affordable housing shortages, and short-term rentals that follow fair regulations.

Crazy, right?

First, let’s talk zoning. Many cities still treat building affordable housing like it’s a revolutionary idea.

Another newsflash, it’s not!

Loosening zoning laws could mean more housing where people actually need it, near jobs, schools, and public transport.

Not exactly rocket science.

Next up, enforce limits on short-term rentals.

Let hosts rent out their spare rooms or even one or two more extra properties, but put a cap on the real estate moguls listing a hundred places at once.

If they want to play Monopoly, they can stick to the board game.

And finally, incentivize landlords to go long-term. Tax breaks for renting to locals instead of tourists?

Fines for letting properties sit empty?

Let’s make it harder to profit from a ghost building and easier to house real people.

This isn’t some pie-in-the-sky dream. It’s good policy, and it would work.

The real question is, why haven’t we at least tried it yet?

Well… maybe because some people like the game exactly the way it is.

6. The Story Airbnb’s Critics Don’t Want to Hear

I stayed in an Airbnb hosted by Saso and Natalia in Skopje, North Macedonia, last summer.

They weren’t running a property empire or driving up rents, they had moved their family into a bigger home but decided to keep their old apartment as a family asset.

They poured their savings into renovating it, hoping it could provide a steady income stream and, one day, something they could pass on to their children.

It worked out well for them. The apartment’s income helps cover their family’s expenses, and guests get a cozy, thoughtfully designed place to stay in the heart of Skopje.

For Saso and Natalia, Airbnb isn’t about greed, it’s about building something sustainable for their family’s future.

And their story isn’t unique.

From single parents making ends meet to retirees trying to cover rising costs, countless hosts rely on Airbnb to stay afloat.

But those stories get buried under headlines blaming short-term rentals for every housing woe. The truth?

It’s not the Saso’s and Natalia’s of the world causing the problem, it’s vacant buildings, unchecked corporate landlords, poor zoning and a lack of oversight.

Sure, Airbnb has flaws. But cancelling your next stay won’t fix the system, it’ll just hurt people like Saso and Natalia who are trying to provide for their families.

If we want real change, we need to stop blaming the small fish and start holding the sharks accountable.

In the End, Who’s Really to Blame?

Airbnb didn’t create the housing crisis, and banning it won’t solve it.

Let’s face it, love it or hate it, Airbnb has made accommodations far more competitive.

Hotels and hostels have upped their game, improving quality and even prices compared to the pre-Airbnb era.

Many homeowners with extra space, now have an additional income stream, and as consumers, we’ve reaped the benefits as a result.

The real question is: are we ready to fix the system, or do we just want someone to blame?