Airbnb use in Amsterdam down for first time

After years of growth, the use of Airbnb in Amsterdam fell for the first time last year, according to real estate adviser Colliers based on figures from research agency AirDNA. Airbnb itself has not yet released figures for 2018, NOS reports.

The number of Airbnb overnight stays in Amsterdam fell by 5 percent to 1.98 million last year, according to Colliers. The number of accommodations decreased by 8.3 percent t 25,380. Airbnb's market share compared to hotels and other accommodation providers decreased from 11.6 percent in 2017 to 10.4 percent in 2018.

The falling use of Airbnb in Amsterdam may be linked to the city's increasingly strict policies on renting homes to tourists. Doing so is still allowed, but only for a total of 60 days last year. That limit was decreased to 30 days at the start of this year. Amsterdam residents must also report each night they rent their home out on the municipal website.

Another factor may be that Airbnb now has competition. The use of competitor Homeaway grew by 61 percent to 136 thousand overnight stays in Amsterdam last year.

In municipalities around Amsterdam, like Diemen, Amstelveen and Zaanstad, the use of Airbnb grew by 36 percent to 196 thousand overnight stays. Airbnb use also grew in the other major cities in the Netherlands. The Hague had the second most Airbnb overnight stays last year at 226 thousand - nine times less than in Amsterdam, but still an increase of 22.6 percent compared to 2017. Airbnb overnight stays increased in Rotterdam by 14.6 percent to 188 thousand, and in Utrecht by 3.5 percent to 160 thousand.