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BiggerAirbnb regularization agreement set to be signed in February
Santo Domingo.- The Minister of Tourism, David Collado, has announced that an agreement with Airbnb to regulate its digital short-term rental platform will be finalized in February. However, the agreement, currently in draft form, does not include fiscal considerations at this stage.
Collado stated that the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur) has prepared the agreement document, which is currently under review by the Hotel and Tourism Association of the Dominican Republic (Asonahores).
Contrary to resistance, Collado emphasized that Airbnb is willing to sign the agreement promptly. He attributed the delay to the necessity of reaching a consensus with the private sector, particularly concerning the fiscal aspect. Collado warned that if Asonahores fails to respond, the agreement may be released in February without their input.
The regulation aims to ensure the security and quality of Airbnb properties, preventing the mistreatment of tourists and upholding the Dominican brand of tourist service. Collado emphasized that the regulation will mirror the standards applied to the country’s hotels.
Both the private tourism sector and the government have advocated for Airbnb regulation, aligning with practices in other nations, acknowledging the platform’s increasing prevalence in the Dominican Republic. According to the Ministry of Tourism’s data from August 2023, the number of active Airbnb and related properties reached 43,302, indicating a substantial growth of 222%.
Wondering? Will the regulation(s) be adhered to by the Dominicans who offer the rentals? Anybody who knows anything about the behavior of RD people to thumb their noses at authority will then have doubts about the teeth of the regulation(s) to bite offenders.
What the regulations will do is to spark landlords to dump Airbnb platforms, motivating them to offer their properties through social networks and word of mouth.
It’s all about money, hotels want to take over the entire tourism industry for themselves, destroying every local business. They have money for this, they give huge bribes to politicians. In terms of tourism, this country is a huge hotel mafia
It has been the resorts and other hospitality enterprises lobbying the government to regulate the Airbnb’s. They do not want the Airbnb competition to obstruct their monopolies. Their aim is to have the competition regulated while they, the resorts, enjoy the state’s tax breaks and liberal oversight.