He Mexico City Congress approved changes to local tourism law to regulate temporary accommodation services of digital platforms, such as the American Airbnb or the Dutch Booking. This is an attempt to organize the tourist offer in the country’s capital.
The initiative, whichcame into effect on Thursday with publication in the Official Gazette, was proposed last year for the interim capital mayor Martí Batres, of the ruling party Morena, and includes, among other things, the creation of a host registry for people and companies that offer short-term tourist stays.
Changes to the Tourism Law
Besides, They are obliged to report use and occupancy indicators and comply with tax obligations. in an attempt to address “the problems” of gentrification, rising rents, insecurity, as well as unfair competition and the accumulation of garbage in areas frequented by tourists. The changes, that They were approved on March 21 unanimously, They stipulate that registration in the registry will have a duration of two years, must be displayed on the platform where hosting services are offered and will have to be renewed 30 days before its expiration.
Hosts must inform immediate neighbors about the tourist use of the properties offered and provide contact numbers. to receive reports about misuse or emergency situations regarding those facilities. Besides, They may be sanctioned if they commit violations.
“Commercial establishments that were already in operation prior to the creation of the host registry may not be registered as real estate under the terms of this Law by any host,” he adds.
The growth of short-term accommodations
He growth of short-stay lodging units impact on the displacement of original residents and the increase in the cost of living in some areas of Mexico City, home to almost 10 million inhabitants. In some neighborhoods, entire buildings were bought to turn them into temporary hotels.
Besides, Hoteliers claim that lodging platforms represent “unfair competition” that generate economic losses since they do not pay the same taxes.
The use of hosting platforms
In recent years, in cities like Barcelona (Spain), Paris (France)Berlin (Germany) or NY (United States) too The use of hosting platforms was regulated. In Mexico they operate Airbnb, based in California; Tripadvisor, based in Massachusetts; Booking, based in Amsterdam; and Trivago, based in Düsseldorf.
At the end of 2022, The capital government signed an agreement with Airbnb to attract digital nomads and creative tourism. On that occasion, the then mayor Claudia Sheinbaum – who is now seeking the presidency of the country – invited “all remote workers from around the world” to come to the Mexican capital with the intention of capturing 5% of that population segment that would result in an economic benefit of 1.4 billion dollars annually.
But they quickly arrived criticism from neighbors and opposition politicians, who assured that the agreement would encourage the arrival of digital nomads, which exploded after the end of the coronavirus pandemic. ANDTourism represents 9.1% of the capital’s GDP, while 14% of employment in the city corresponds to activities related to tourism, according to official figures.
Currently there are some 800 hotels with more than 60,000 rooms in Mexico City. Last year, The city received 14.4 million tourists – 29% international – who left a revenue of about 7.9 billion dollars.
Source: Ambito
