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What does a world without Airbnb look like?

With Barcelona announcing a total ban on short-term rentals from the end of 2028, how will decisions to curb Airbnb and others in the world's major cities change how we travel?

It's all part of a wider theme: around the world, Airbnb – which dominates the short-term rental market with more than 50% of all online bookings – and others, including VRBO, Booking.com and Expedia.com, are being scrutinised at the same time as questions are being asked about who tourism is for, and where the balance lies between benefits for tourists and locals alike. Since its launch in 2007, Airbnb has been a major disruptor of the travel industry, offering flexible rental accommodation in cities worldwide with a "live like a local" promise that hotels couldn't match. Spain is at the epicentre of Europe's overtourism crisis, with locals vocally opposing what they feel is a tourism industry that does not benefit them, in destinations including Malaga, Mallorca and the Canary Islands as well Barcelona itself.

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