Airbnb's impact in Catalonia
Airbnb's Economic Impact in Spain
Hosting on Airbnb creates an additional income stream for hosts, fuels visitor spending in communities, supports jobs across multiple industries and contributes substantial tax revenue for local governments.
EUR 8B+
in total economic contribution to GDP1
EUR 2B+
in total tax revenue1
140,000+
Total jobs supported1
Estimated economic impact figures listed are for Spain. Learn more about the economic impact methodology.
Host community snapshot
Understanding the motivations and demographics of hosts on Airbnb
71%
of hosts confirm hosting on Airbnb is not their primary occupation2
50%
of hosts say hosting on Airbnb allows them to meet the rising cost of living2
63%
of hosts confirm hosting on Airbnb has helped them stay in their home2
49%
of hosts self-report having a total annual household income below EUR 45K2
54%
of hosts self-identify as women3
23%
of hosts self-report being over 60 years of age3
EUR 7,700+
Typical annual earnings for hosts4
Guest community snapshot
Understanding why guests travelling to Catalonia choose Airbnb.
17%
of guests travelling with children: Trips with at least one child or infant on the reservation3
21%
of guests who say their trip could not have been accommodated by hotels2
23%
Guests whose trip originated within 300 kilometres of their destination5
Guest origins5
- Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Greater London, England, United Kingdom
- Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Paris, Île-de-France, France
- Toulouse, Occitanie, France
1 as of 31 December 2025
2 Self reported through a survey to the Airbnb community from July 2025 through June 2026
3 Self reported on Airbnb Platform as of 30 June 2026
4 Airbnb data for 2025, 'typical' means median
5 Airbnb trip data for 12 month period ending 30 June 2026
Latest Updates
Economic Assessment of the STR Segment in the EU
Local rules that severely limit the supply of short term rentals have failed to improve the availability of affordable housing while hurting local hosts and increasing travel costs for everyday Europeans.
A new study by Oxford Economics commissioned by Airbnb highlights the positive impact of short term rentals on countries across the EU. Travelers staying in short-term rentals generated €149 billion in economic benefits, supported 2.1 million jobs, and generated €40 billion in total tax revenue in 2023.
Rural areas have particularly benefited from this positive impact, as 55 percent of travelers in short-term rentals stayed outside of major cities in 2023. This trend is growing and the number of short-term rental nights stayed in rural locations has doubled since 2020.
While Oxford Economics finds short-term rentals’ impact on housing to be minimal and limited to specific neighborhoods, excessive and poorly targeted regulations implemented in some European cities have unsurprisingly failed to address local challenges. Learn more about the economic learnings across specific cities throughout the EU.