On Election Day in San Francisco, the people spoke — and they spoke very clearly — and said “No” to Proposition F, an extreme measure backed by the hotel industry that would have limited home sharing in the city and hurt the ability of everyday people to use the income they generate from home sharing to make ends meet. The results were an incredible victory for our middle class hosts and only possible because the Airbnb community led the fight on the ground in San Francisco.

This election was the first time that there was an actual vote of the people on home sharing.  This election was the first time that the hotel industry was shown to be the source of opposition to home sharing. And this election may have been the first time that the broader public understood what we already knew — Airbnb hosts and guests are not just a community, they represent a people-to-people movement that is getting stronger as the days grow longer.

What the home sharing community did on the ground in San Francisco paid homage to the proverb — vote with your feet.  Many of the the 138,000 hosts and guests in San Francisco took the initiative, organized themselves and led the campaign. The campaign through our community-based volunteers knocked on 285,000 doors, held 105,000 individual conversations with voters, and worked to solicit the endorsement of more than 2000 small, family run businesses.

The No on F campaign earned the support of many leading elected officials and organizations in San Francisco  because our Hosts told them their stories and asked for their support. We saw just how effective the Home Sharers Democratic Club of San Francisco was as a center for organizing the Airbnb community. We experienced first hand the power of people-to-people political networking.  This Medium post , which written by a member of the Airbnb community in San Francisco, was read more than 175,000 times and was one of the smartest takes on why Prop F was so extreme.

What happened in San Francisco is happening over the world. We’re hearing from Airbnb hosts and guests who want to do more to tell their local officials about the benefits of home sharing for their community. Just last week, in New York, we saw more than 6,000 community members in four days provide testimonials to the City Council on how home sharing allows them to make ends meet.  Earlier this year, the California legislature considered legislation regarding home sharing and more than 750,000 members of the community weighed in with elected officials.

Yesterday, we announced that we will support the creation of 100 independent Home Sharing Clubs in 100 Cities around the world in 2016. Many of these organizations have already been formed. In other places, we’ve heard from hosts who want to get involved, but just need a little assistance.

To help out and support the creation of these Home Sharing Clubs we will:

• Give our community the freedom to do what works for them. We will provide host clubs with support and information, but these organizations will be independent and free to make their own decisions.

• Give our community access to the finest grassroots organizing training, tools and support. We’ve worked closely with former Obama Administration officials and organizing experts. Now, we’ll make these experts available to the Airbnb community.

• Provide dedicated Airbnb staff to help our community. Our team in San Francisco will be available to our community and offer advice and support to hosts and guests who are organizing in communities around the world.

In many ways, the organizing of our community into a movement has historical precedent. From guilds to unions, networks of people with shared economic and societal interests have come together to leverage the power of their voices. Today, Airbnb hosts — who earn 97 percent of the price of their listing — and Airbnb guests who use our platform to see the world are forming a powerful people-to-people based political advocacy bloc.

To put the size of the community in perspective, in the U.S. from 2013 to today, we grew from around 950,000 people to over 4 million. Our community continues to grow and more people will be on our platform tomorrow than there are today.  For comparison purposes, the Sierra Club has 2.4 million members, teachers unions represent 2.9 million members and the NRA has 5 million members

We are committed to working with cities as partners — as we have done with cities all over the world.  We want to work with cities to pay our fair share; to make information available to cities so they can make smart decisions; and to get to common-sense solutions that support the middle class.  Over the last several weeks we have seen significant progress — the San Francisco election where the people spoke; partnerships formed from Milan, Italy to Jersey City, New Jersey (steps away from the Statute of Liberty — the very symbol of the American Dream); and the majority party of Tasmania endorsing home sharing.

I’ve been with Airbnb for just over two months and I am in awe of our community because they are a movement and the winds of history are at our back.

 

Today, we are highlighting new data about the Airbnb community in Belgium. It shows that Airbnb helps grow and diversify tourism in Belgium, allows regular people to earn additional income to help make ends meet, and helps them experience the world.

Airbnb hosts in Belgium have been welcoming guests into their homes since 2009. In the past year alone, 10,400 listings were booked by guests wanting to experience Belgium like a local. Airbnb hosts are providing guests with authentic and local travel experiences and earning a little extra money to help pay the bills.

Here are some highlights from the report:

Airbnb helps grow and diversify tourism in Belgium. In one year, 350,700 guests used Airbnb to visit Belgium, and 90 percent of guests were international. The average length of stay was 2.9 days.

Airbnb hosts are regular members of the community. The typical Airbnb host in Belgium is 40 years old. They share their home for 36 days a year and earn an additional €2,300 a year.

Hosting on Airbnb helps local residents pay the bills and make ends meet. More than half of Airbnb hosts say the additional income they make by sharing their space helps them make ends meet. Almost half of Airbnb hosting income is used for regular household expenses.

Airbnb helps Belgian residents experience the world. Almost 450,000 local residents used Airbnb for their international and domestic trips.

You can see the full report here, including individual reports for Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia.

Earlier this year, Flanders introduced draft legislation to embrace home sharing, and we are proud to be working with policy makers on modern rules to support regular people who rely on this income.

But today’s report shows that Airbnb brings tremendous economic, social and environmental benefits to everyone in Belgium. We want to work with policymakers – in all regions of Belgium – on clear and simple rules for home sharing. By working together, we can help more people to experience Belgium like a local and support more working families to earn a little extra money to help pay the bills.

Thank you, San Francisco.

Tonight, voters stood up for middle class families’ right to share their home and opposed an extreme, hotel industry-backed measure.

This election was a victory for the middle class and it was made possible by the 138,000 members of the Airbnb community who had individual conversations with over 105,000 voters, knocked on 285,000 doors, including 55,000 today, and worked to generate support from more than 2,000 small, family-owned businesses in the city. This effort shows that home sharing is both a community and a movement.

In this election, the Airbnb San Francisco home sharing community became a movement, showing up at the polls in large numbers and voting overwhelmingly against an effort designed by the hotel industry that targeted the right of the middle class to use home sharing as an economic lifeline.

We want to thank our community in San Francisco for their hard work, and for standing up for what we all believe in. Your guts and determination inspire us every day. We are immensely grateful to everyone who stood with us during this campaign, including the countless individuals, small businesses, local and state elected officials, community leaders and organizations who lent their support to this campaign.

We also want to underscore our commitment to working with everyone in San Francisco to make this City an even better place to live, work and visit. Airbnb could have only been started in San Francisco — a community that welcomes and celebrates new ideas and a new way of doing things. San Francisco has experienced affordability issues for decades and our community wants to be part of the solution. This City is our home, and no matter where you stood on Proposition F, we want to work with you to make San Francisco stronger for everyone.

Finally, we know members of the Airbnb home sharing movement around the world have been watching this campaign and we are excited to work with you to educate policymakers and community leaders in cities and towns around the world about the benefits of home sharing.

We’ve already seen leaders in places from Amsterdam to Philadelphia, from Milan to Nashville, from London to San Jose and from Paris to Jersey City embrace home sharing (just to name a few). In October, the State of California passed a law ensuring state employees can travel on Airbnb for state business. Last week, the governing party in Tasmania endorsed home sharing as a critical tool for the middle class. And earlier tonight the City of Boulder, Colorado voted to support a progressive short term rental law.

We want to continue to be partners with governments to craft fair, progressive rules for home sharing that support the middle class and allow cities to address issues that are important to their community. We’ll be giving our community more opportunities to speak out and be a part of this work.

Tomorrow, informed by the efforts in the San Francisco campaign, we will be announcing the next steps in this movement to support home sharing.

Today we’re celebrating good news from Australia, where the state government in Tasmania announced it will introduce legislation to embrace the sharing economy and platforms like Airbnb.

Addressing Australia’s Committee of Economic Development in Hobart, Premier Will Hodgman said sharing economy platforms are good for consumers and good for growth, and the government will introduce legislation next year to regulate the sharing economy.

Here’s what he had to say:

“We are prepared to take a lead on the national stage to be the first state to embrace the sharing economy. We believe it is consumers that should decide what’s best for them, not the government.”

We applaud the state government in Tasmania for recognising the tremendous benefits home sharing. We look forward to working with the Premier to help grow and diversify tourism and to provide visitors to the State with a unique travel experience in the homes of local residents, beyond the regular tourist hotspots. This helps spread economic benefits to new families, communities and local businesses that otherwise wouldn’t benefit from the tourist dollar.

We also know that a large number of Airbnb hosts right across Australia come from low to moderate income households and rely on this additional income to pay the bills and help make ends meet. By working together with the government on clear and simple rules for home sharing, we can support more everyday Australians.

Today, the European Commission said Europe needs a clear regulatory framework that promotes the development of ‘collaborative economy entrepreneurship’. According to the Commission, this framework should ensure that no unnecessary regulatory hurdles are placed on existing or new market operators, whichever business model they use.

The Commission – the Executive Body of the European Union – is currently looking at ways to adapt and strengthen the single market in Europe, which is intended to allow goods and services to move more freely across national borders. In a communication released today, they identify the development of the collaborative economy as a key priority for a fair and modern Europe. They commit to developing guidance on how existing EU law applies to collaborative economy business models and to assess possible regulatory gaps:

“This guidance will be based on the Services Directive, E-Commerce Directive, European consumer legislation, as well as on relevant treaty provisions. It will consider international best practice and should help Member States and market operators better understand the applicable rules. It will also guide the Commission’s enforcement action to ensure that national law does not hinder the development of the collaborative economy in an unjustified manner.”

They highlight the benefits the collaborative economy brings to Europe and the opportunities it gives to regular people looking to make a little extra money to help make ends meet:

“The collaborative economy leads to greater choice and lower prices for consumers and provides growth opportunities for innovative start-ups and existing European companies, both in their home country and across borders. It also increases employment and benefits employees by allowing for more flexible schedules, from non-professional micro jobs to part-time entrepreneurship. Resources can be used more efficiently thereby increasing productivity and sustainability.”

You can read more about today’s announcement here.

We are pleased the Commission recognises the huge benefits the collaborative economy offers everyone in Europe. It increases consumer choice, allows consumers to become producers and helps thousands of regular people to make a little extra income to help make ends meet. By providing a clear regulatory framework – highlighting regulatory best practices and removing unnecessary and unjustified barriers to growth – Europe can be a world leader for the collaborative economy and innovative business models.

We look forward to working with the Commission and all Member States on clear and modern rules that apply consistently across Europe. By working together, we can harness the tremendous economic, social and environmental benefits of the collaborative economy and spread its benefits to everyone in Europe.

The TCS New York City Marathon is the largest marathon in the world. This year more than 50,000 runners will take part in the race, traveling from across the world and bringing their friends and family to cheer them on.

During race weekend, many of these guests are looking for a truly authentic New York experience. As the Official Community Hospitality Partner of the TCS New York City Marathon, Airbnb is proud to give visitors the chance to live like a local and see the diverse neighborhoods New York has to offer. This is why thousands of runners and visitors who travel to New York to participate in this great tradition stay with Airbnb hosts in all five boroughs.

Today, we are releasing a new report that shares some data about the way home sharing and Airbnb benefit local hosts and their guests during the TCS New York City Marathon. Check out the report here.

Today, we’re releasing a new study highlighting the many benefits that home sharing brings to Austin. Home sharing allows people to turn what is generally one of their greatest expenses into a tool to help make ends meet. Many Airbnb hosts are middle class residents who share their homes to pay the bills. Meanwhile, Airbnb guests generate sustainable, local economic activity that supports small businesses.

Many of our hosts in Austin are long time residents who are simply sharing the home in which they live. Meanwhile, guests are traveling in small groups and at the guidance of their hosts, shopping at local businesses.

Here are some highlights from the report:

Responsible home sharing is creating an economic engine for Austin. In the past year 98% of hosts recommended a local business to a guest staying at their listing. This lead to approximately 124 million dollars of spending at Austin businesses by Airbnb guests.

Hosts are long-time Austin residents committed to the community. The average Airbnb host is 37 years old and is a long time member of the community having lived there for an average of 16 years.

Hosts are sharing the home in which they live. 85% of Austin hosts share the home in which they live. In addition, 67% of listings were rented for fewer than 30 days in the past year.

Airbnb guests travel in small groups, looking for a unique travel experience. 87% of trips booked to Austin on Airbnb include four or fewer guests. Furthermore, 92% of listings on Airbnb have three or fewer bedrooms. 87% of guests choose Airbnb because they want to “live like a local” and 77% said that staying in an Airbnb made them more likely to return.

See the full report here

Earlier this year, I shared news from Quebec, where the government said it was working on new rules for home sharing – the first province in Canada to do so.

Today, the government announced it will introduce an updated tourism law that clearly distinguishes between professional tourism businesses and non-professional hosts, who make up the majority of the Airbnb community.

Speaking today, Dominique Vien, Tourism Minister for Quebec, clarified that new measures to crackdown on illegal accommodation in Quebec are not aimed at Airbnb hosts. These platforms are here to stay and need new rules that recognise Airbnb hosts are not businesses or professionals – they are regular people sharing their homes to help make ends meet.

Here’s what she said:

“These new platforms have attracted consumers and are here to stay. In the quest for balance, we want to protect people who make their homes available to travellers and tourists from time to time. We obviously do not want to make them subject to this new law, or the need to obtain a certificate if they don’t meet the profile of a tourist facility.”

We will continue to work with the government to clarify the details of this proposal, but are pleased that the government recognises that Airbnb hosts are typically not businesses or professionals. A study in Montreal last year showed that they are regular people who share their homes on an occasional basis, and nearly half the money they earn goes on living expenses and making ends meet.

By introducing clear and simple rules for home sharing, Quebec will join the growing list of destinations around the world that are implementing progressive rules that increase consumer choice and support regular people for whom this income is an economic lifeline.

We look forward to continuing our work with the government and to partner on further measures to support regular people, allow guests to experience Quebec like a local and to spread economic benefits to more families, communities and local businesses beyond the regular tourist hotspots.

Des développements positifs pour les hôtes Airbnb au Québec

Plus tôt cette année, j’ai publié un texte au sujet du gouvernement du Québec qui travaillait sur un plan pour légiférer le partage de logement à travers le Québec – la première province à entreprendre des démarches en ce sens.

Aujourd’hui, le gouvernement du Québec a annoncé qu’il déposera un nouveau projet de loi sur le tourisme, qui distingue clairement les entreprises touristiques professionnelles et les hôtes qui partagent leur domicile de façon occasionnelle et non commerciale, représentant, en fait, la majorité de la communauté Airbnb.

Aujourd’hui, Mme Dominique Vien, ministre du Tourisme du Québec, a clarifié que les nouvelles mesures pour lutter contre l’hébergement illégal au Québec ne visent pas les hôtes Airbnb.  Les nouvelles plateformes sont là pour rester et requièrent des règlementations qui reconnaissent que les hôtes Airbnb ne sont pas des entreprises commerciales – ce sont tout simplement des gens normaux qui partagent leur domicile afin d’arrondir leur fin de mois.

Voici un résumé de ses propos:

« Ces nouvelles plateformes sont appréciées des consommateurs et sont là pour rester. Dans notre quête d’un équilibre satisfaisant, nous souhaitons protéger les personnes qui partagent leur domicile avec des voyageurs et des touristes de façon occasionnelle. Nous ne voulons évidemment pas les inclure dans cette nouvelle loi ou les obliger à obtenir un certificat d’attestation s’ils ne répondent pas aux critères d’une propriété touristique. »

Nous continuerons de collaborer étroitement avec le gouvernement afin de préciser les détails de ce projet de loi, mais nous sommes ravis que le gouvernement reconnaisse que les hôtes Airbnb ne sont majoritairement pas des entreprises ou des professionnels du domaine touristique. D’ailleurs, une étude réalisée à Montréal l’année dernière a démontré qu’ils sont tout simplement des résidents normaux, qui partagent leur domicile à l’occasion afin de payer pour leurs dépenses courantes et arrondir leur fin de mois.

En mettant en place des règles simples et précises pour encadrer le partage de logement, gouvernement du Québec joindra les rangs d’une liste en pleine croissance de villes partout à travers le monde qui ont choisi de proposer des réglementations progressistes, qui ont pour effet d’accroître les options pour les consommateurs et de soutenir les personnes pour qui ce revenu supplémentaire est vital.

Nous sommes impatients de poursuivre notre collaboration avec le gouvernement et ainsi mettre en place de nouvelles mesures afin de soutenir les gens ordinaires et permettre aux voyageurs d’expérimenter la culture québécoise et, par le fait même, étendre les bénéfices économiques aux familles, communautés et entreprises locales situées à l’extérieur des secteurs touristiques habituels.

Today we’re excited to share news from Australia, where the Labor Party has announced its support for the sharing economy and a plan to spread its benefits to everyone in Australia. They say the sharing economy has huge economic and social potential and are encouraging Australia to embrace it, and put the right rules in place to regulate it.

After six months of listening and talking to Australians about their ideas and priorities for the sharing economy, Labor has developed a plan for the future based on six key principles – the first being that primary property is yours to share. They will now work with state and territory governments across Australia to deliver reforms and turn these principles into concrete rules and regulations.

Speaking today, leader of the Australian Labor Party, Bill Shorten said:

“These principles have been developed after more than six months of listening and talking to Australians about their ideas and priorities for the sharing economy. They demonstrate that Labor wants to see the local sharing economy flourish within a supportive and flexible regulatory framework.

“Striking a balance between supporting innovation and protecting the Australian community is tricky. In a fast-moving digital context, it will be a challenge to get it right. But Labor believes we owe it to Australians to take this challenge seriously.”

The sharing economy is already bringing huge benefits to Australia and helping helping everyday people monetize their spare rooms and extra space to make best use of their assets and pay their bills. It is increasing consumer choice, and providing an economic lifeline for thousands of regular people across Australia.

We applaud any political party that recognises the potential of this new economy and the need for modern rules that are clear and easy for regular people to follow.

More and more governments are embracing the sharing economy, including the UK, France, Amsterdam, Milan and numerous US cities. We want to be good partners for policy makers across the world, and work together to make their cities better places to live, work and visit.

We look forward to working with everyone to harness the benefits of the sharing economy for all Australians, and to support regular people for whom this additional income is an economic lifeline.

Fast facts

• Next week alone, about 30,000 Aussies will use the Airbnb platform to book their accommodation somewhere in the world.

• There are about 50,000 Airbnb listings across Australia. 13,000 of these are in Sydney.

• A majority of Australian Airbnb hosts live in low to moderate income households.

• The typical Airbnb host in Australia earns roughly AUD$7,100 per year through Airbnb.

Airbnb helps cities manage some of the biggest events on earth. Whether the Olympic Games in London, World Cup in Brazil or Expo 2015 in Milan, Airbnb spreads the economic benefits of global mega-events to regular people and gives cities the flexibility to host unprecedented visitor numbers without a single brick being laid.

Today, mayors and city leaders from across the globe gathered in London to discuss how the Airbnb community and sharing economy platforms have become valued partners to modern cities managing big events. They agreed that cities need a new, sustainable approach to managing big events – one that makes efficient use of existing infrastructures, includes authentic local experiences and leaves a legacy of civic pride for local residents.

Here’s what they had to say:

Rob Adams, Director City Design & Projects, City of Melbourne:
“For cities to build specific infrastructure for big events worries me. The right thing to do is to look at your own, existing infrastructure and ask: ‘How do we get more out of this?’ That’s the Airbnb principle.”

Matteo Lepore, Deputy Mayor, City of Bologna:
“How do we be flexible and host people from other cities? That’s our issue. We need to promote our city and to be ready with infrastructure to host people who want an authentic Italian experience.”

Hila Oren, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Tel Aviv Global and Tourism:
“Pride is something that can boost a city for a decade.”

Today’s roundtable event was held at the third CityLab conference – Urban Solutions to Global Challenges. It confirmed what we hear from progressive cities around the world; big events are best when everyone benefits. They have the power to boost a city for a generation.

Today, we are also highlighting new figures that show how the Airbnb community is supporting the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, where Airbnb is the official alternative accommodation provider.

With just under one year to go until the opening ceremony…

• Almost 7,500 guests from more than 50 countries have already booked to stay with an Airbnb host at the Olympic Games in Rio.

• Guests have booked to stay in 36 neighbourhoods in Rio, spreading economic benefits beyond the tourist hotspots to new families, communities and local businesses.

• The average stay with an Airbnb host during the Olympic Games is more than eight days.

We are proud to have built a reputation as a trusted partner for cities managing global mega-events. When the eyes of the world are focused on a city, our community steps-up and provides guests with unique and local travel experiences. We want to work together with more cities to democratise the benefits of big events and extend their benefits to regular people who share their homes to help make ends meet.