Portugal Supply Mushrooms, Airbnb Scores Lobbying Win in Washington, Booking.com’s 2025 Travel & Sustainability Report

Portugal Clamps Down on Tourist Rentals—Hosts Pivot, Airbnb Pushes Back

• Short-term rental (STR) listings in Portugal jumped 50% year-over-year to 3,599 homes by end-2024, according to Idealista. Lisbon (994) and Porto (399) saw the largest increases, followed by Faro, Setúbal, Braga, Funchal, and Coimbra.
• As Lisbon considers stricter Alojamento Local (AL) rules, many landlords are turning to the New Urban Lease Regime, which permits short-term leases under 12 months with fewer restrictions.
• Airbnb opposes the proposed rules, citing that 70% of hosts have one listing and 20% rent private rooms, arguing the changes would harm residents reliant on rental income. The company also criticized the approval of 54 new hotels while restricting AL.
• Airbnb calls for data-based, targeted regulation, equal rules for hotels and STRs, reinvestment of tourist taxes into housing, and better data sharing with authorities.

Snigdha’s Views

• These two developments—the record-high supply of short-term rentals and Airbnb’s public push for more balanced rules, highlight a growing clash between market behavior and regulatory intent. 
• The result? Landlords are not waiting for legal clarity. They’re moving fast, shifting from AL listings to temporary rentals (Student Housing, Corporate Rentals, Remote Work Stays).
• What’s interesting is how Airbnb is handling this. It’s not just complaining that the rules are unfair. It’s also proposing real, actionable solutions similar to what they did in Spain.
• Airbnb is leading the lobbying, but property managers shouldn’t stay passive. When consultations open, submit feedback. If you’re in a hosting group, share your compliance and economic impact experiences.
• This is doubly important because Airbnb’s defense is centering on individual hosts, not professional operators. If managers want fair treatment in future regulations, they need they need to build visibility in public discussions and policy debates.

Washington’s Rental Tax Bill Fails After Airbnb Pushback, Vrbo Takes a Softer Line

• A proposed bill in Washington state that would have allowed cities and counties to impose a 4% tax on STRs has failed to move forward this legislative session. 
• Despite passing in the state Senate, Senate Bill 5576 stalled in the House after a wave of lobbying from Airbnb, which poured over $1.2 million into opposing the legislation through a political committee called “Airbnb Helps Our State Thrive.”
• The bill, introduced by Senator Liz Lovelett, was designed to create new funding streams for affordable housing initiatives.
• Airbnb responded, calling the tax “exorbitant” and warning that it would raise costs for travelers, while also hurting residents who rely on STR income to make ends meet. 
• The company argued the tax wouldn’t solve the housing crisis, pointing instead to hotel growth and zoning laws as bigger factors limiting supply.
• In response to political pressure, lawmakers watered down the bill, turning the statewide tax into a local option and including exemptions for STRs in designated resort and vacation communities. 
• Vrbo, on the other hand, actually supported the revised bill, calling it a “reasonable local tax option” and an alternative to more extreme measures like outright bans.

Snigdha’s Views

• The Washington case shows just how aggressively platforms like Airbnb will fight back when they see tax proposals as a threat, not just to their business, but to their host base. 
• What’s also striking is the contrast in strategy: Airbnb is confrontational and high-spend, while Vrbo positions itself as cooperative and policy-friendly.   These differences reflect how each platform wants to be seen by regulators.
• Vrbo’s support for a localized, compromise-driven approach signals a strategic pivot toward regulatory goodwill, offering a playbook for professional managers to position themselves as solution-oriented partners in housing policy debates.
• While this specific bill was stopped, it wasn’t killed by lack of support — just timing and tactics. It will likely be revived in 2026 with even broader political backing.

Booking.com Boosts Visibility for Certified Listings as Travelers Focus on Sustainability and Local Value

• In its newly released 2025 Travel & Sustainability Report, Booking.com reveals that 84% of travelers say sustainability matters when planning their trips.
• The report shows that travelers also care about tourism’s impact on local communities, and 73% of travelers want the money they spend to go back into the local economy.
• Concurrently, Booking has now started highlighting properties and destinations with third-party sustainability certifications.
• They have also published a list of the top 10 most sustainable destinations in 2025, based on the percentage of properties with verified green credentials.
• Cities like Geneva, Winnipeg, Hamburg, and Seoul made the list not because they’re trendy, but because enough local properties could prove, on paper, that they’re meeting sustainability standards.

Snigdha’s Views

• Booking.com isn’t simply suggesting that sustainability is important—it is embedding it directly into the platform’s logic. 
• Properties with third-party sustainability certifications are now prioritized in search results, more prominently filtered, and actively promoted.
• Short-term rental managers don’t need to overhaul their entire operations overnight. Many can begin by auditing existing sustainability efforts, such as energy efficiency, waste reduction, or hiring from the local community.
• Booking.com currently highlights properties certified by recognized programs such as Green Key, LEED, GreenSign, and EarthCheck. 
• Once a certification is obtained, it must be clearly displayed on the platform, as it directly influences a property’s visibility and ranking. 
• Without that signal, both Booking.com’s algorithm and prospective guests may overlook the listing.
• Traveler expectations are also evolving. Many now place value on community impact—favoring businesses that hire local staff, support nearby vendors, or reinvest in the neighborhood. 
• These practices should be clearly communicated in listing descriptions, as they increasingly influence booking decisions.