More Greeks have turned to short-term rentals to boost their income as a result of the economic crisis. The 1st BnB Guest Conference in Athens presented findings from an online survey conducted by the University of the Aegean and the Laboratory for Tourism Research and Studies.
The study found that 23 per cent of respondents rented out their properties for over 150 days a year, with 63 per cent citing the need for additional income and 44 per cent stating that they viewed this method as a way out of the economic crisis.
Most respondents were newcomers to Airbnb with 37 per cent having joined in the last two years and only 6 per cent claiming to have been active for more than five years. Most (70 per cent) managed their Airbnb activities on their own, and did not use companies that offered management services.
Most Airbnb providers who were polled came from Athens (41 per cent), followed by Crete (20 per cent), Central Macedonia (16 per cent), the South Aegean islands (14 per cent) and Ionian islands (12 per cent).
80 per cent of the study’s participants said they had registered with Greece’s newly launched online registry and declared their taxable earnings. Half of the respondents said they agreed with the new legal framework but stated that it would limit their activity and have a negative impact on the overall economy.