Dutch cities tightening Airbnb restrictions

Utrecht, The Hague and Rotterdam are in talks with the Ministry of Economic Affairs on tightening the rules and restrictions linked to renting your home, or part thereof, through Airbnb, Trouw reports. While Amsterdam is still the leader in the Airbnb market, with more than half of Dutch Aribnb listings being in the capital, the other three large cities are catching up. The number of Utrecht listings increased by 120 percent in the past year. Rotterdam increased by 61 percent and The Hague by 47 percent. Amsterdam already established new rules for Airbnb in 2014, in the capital city's fight against illegal hotels. Since the new rules were implemented, individuals are allowed to rent out their homes or rooms, but only under strict conditions. Airbnb also now collects tourist tax from their listings on behalf of the municipality, money Amsterdam missed out on in the past. The other three of the Netherlands' largest cities are now following suit. While Airbnb is seeing an explosive growth in the Netherlands, "old fashioned" hotels and accommodations are still most popular in the country. A massive 93 percent of overnight visits in the Netherlands were spent in a hotel last year.