The Galway branch of the Community Action Tenants Union (CATU ) is this week launching its Homes Not Holiday Lets campaign against Airbnb and touristification. The campaign will see the group organising a number of actions over the coming months to highlight the impact that short-term lets (STLs ), as advertised on sites such as Airbnb, is having on the local community, and to demand that greater action is taken to tackle it.
County Galway has seen a 62% increase in Airbnbs over the past five years, with over 1900 entire homes now available on the platform according to Inside Airbnb, a website which analyses Airbnb data.
There are currently only 110 properties available to rent in the county on Daft.ie In tandem with the increase in Airbnbs, average rents (as published in Daft’s rental reports ) in the county have risen by almost 70% since 2019. Insufficient and unenforced regulation is allowing the illegal proliferation of STLs, with only 4% of Airbnbs in Galway City having the necessary planning permission.
A spokesperson for CATU Galway said STLs are having a serious detrimental effect on local communities.
“Residents are being priced out and pushed out of the city. In Gaeltacht areas, STLs make it harder for Irish speakers to find houses, which has an impact on the language and culture.
“Beyond STLs, we have the wider issue of touristification, with more and more businesses totally geared towards and reliant on tourists. We need the local authorities to take meaningful action to combat STLs and we hope people will join our campaign to make sure our demands are heard.”
“Whether the refusal to enforce legislation to regulate STLs is down to staffing issues, or an unwarranted fear about damage to Galway’s economy, it is clear this negligence of duty is making Galway an increasingly difficult place to live year on year.”
They added that when the powers that be prioritise profiteering over ensuring an adequate and affordable housing supply, tourism can become damaging, and that is exactly what we are seeing in Galway and many other places. Our campaign will fight for housing as a need, while opposing the illegal touristification of Galway.”
As part of the campaign, CATU Galway will:
Collect stories from people affected by Airbnb and the STL crisis.
Pressure local authorities and the Dáil to enforce regulations and curb illegal STLs.
Collaborate with housing advocacy groups in Galway and other impacted areas.
Report illegal STLs that do not have the necessary planning permission
CATU Galway’s launch event in Kennedy’s Bar in Galway on the 15th of February featured live music from multiple bands and DJs, market stalls, workshops, and speakers from CATU to raise money and awareness for the campaign.
More information is available on CATU Galway’s landing page for the Airbnb campaign linked here.
Contact galway@catuireland.org for enquiries.
