Fifty small business owners from the south east region have expressed concerns about proposed legislation that could impact short-term rental accommodations and potentially harm tourism in the area.
Organised by Lynnie O’Connell and Susan Devane, volunteer Community Leaders for Airbnb hosts, the meeting at the Horse and Hound Hotel in Ballinaboola, County Wexford to aimed to highlight the importance of short-term rentals in supporting individual family incomes and regional economies.
They criticised the legislation, intended to address the housing crisis and potentially return properties to the long-term rental market, for overlooking the diverse reasons for short-term rentals, beyond tourism, including accommodation for contract workers, relocating families, and digital nomads.
While stakeholders support the registration of short-term rentals as required by the EU, concerns were raised about the additional burden imposed by modern planning regulations on historical properties, prompting engagement from Deputy Verona Murphy and Senator Malcolm Byrne from the south east region to address these issues.
