– Someone came from London on Christmas Eve. And someone from India wondered if we had bears and wolves in the fields here, says Ina Shelby. On her farm in Egersund in Rogaland, she rents out a house through the rental service Airbnb. People come from the country and the coast to live on her farm. – They come to experience nature. I meet many people from big cities in Europe who come to find peace and quiet. Shelby is far from the only one who notices that renting out on Airbnb is popular. Bjørn Hagen Aakre KjøkkenBenedikte house on the architect-designed Svindland farm. Bjørn Hagen Aakre StueHuset is popular and is usually occupied many weeks in advance. Bjørn Hagen Aakre UtsiktMany of the guests come to experience the scenic surroundings around the farm. – A doubling and well, according to Region Stavanger, there are around 2,500 places to stay on Airbnb in the Stavanger region. By comparison, the same area has 5,000 hotel rooms. Per Morten Haarr, who is tourism director for Stavanger, believes we will see further growth in Airbnb rentals in the coming years. Photo: Josef Benoni Ness Tveit / news If we include in the calculation that most Airbnb units have more beds, tourism director Pål Morten Haarr believes that there are about as many room options on the rental side as there are in the hotel. – Quietly, this has become very big. It has simply taken a lot of time in recent years. A doubling and that’s it, he says. According to Haarr, the hotel is aware of the competition from Airbnb. – The hotel will be concerned that they must have the same framework conditions. Hotels must deliver on strict standards linked to routines, safety and protocols. There are no concrete figures on how many hotel rooms there are in the whole of Norway, but according to figures from Statistics Norway, there were 86,253 available rooms in December last year. By comparison, in 2022 there were approximately 99,838 “rental properties”, i.e. houses, flats or cabins, on Airbnb, according to the Swedish Tax Agency. Airbnb landlords and others had NOK 8.6 billion in rental income. It has increased from NOK 6.1 billion in 2021 and NOK 5.3 billion in 2020. In the Stavanger region, there are at the same time 8 percent fewer hotel nights so far this year than in the same period in 2019. There are a full 25 percent fewer foreign hotel nights. In the country, the number of foreign overnight stays has not returned to the level it was before the corona pandemic. What is increasing are foreign overnight stays at campsites, cabin villages and cabin agency services. Kristin Krohn Devold. Photo: Oda Hveem / NHO Reiseliv NHO: There should be a registration obligation NHO Reiseliv believes that Airbnb and others who operate short-term housing rentals should be required to register. – In the EU, one is considering requiring registration. This has already been introduced in Amsterdam, a city that has had challenges with over-tourism. We think it is natural for Norway to follow developments in Europe, says Kristin Krohn Devold, managing director. NHO believes that municipalities need such an overview when planning for, among other things, student housing, parking and public transport. – If there are too few rental units for the residents of the municipality, there must be greater pressure on housing development, she says. Geir Sølve Hebnes Sleveland notices that there have been more rental units on the market. He is hotel director at Grand Hotell in Egersund. Geir Sølve Hebnes Sleveland believes hotels offer a bigger package to guests than Airbnb rentals do. He is hotel director at the Grand hotel in Egersund. Photo: Hanne Christin Våge / news – Although there is a strong growth in visitors, it does not have the same effect on the hotel. It is about the fact that there are almost 90 providers on Airbnb in Egersund. We have to work more for the guests. He is still positive that Airbnb attracts more people to the city. – It increases the focus on the region. We are concerned with what we offer as part of the total package that Airbnb can’t offer.
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