Athens (AFP)
At the foot of the Acropolis, the Athenian district of Koukaki, usually popular with tourists from all over the world, has been looking gray since the pandemic, with its deserted terraces and pedestrian walkways, and its Airbnb accommodation emptied of their customers.
In the Greek capital as in all the others in Europe, the stopping of air links and the planetary health crisis put a stop to tourist stays, at the end of a decade of crisis.
Directly affected, the hundreds of small owners who had chosen to rent their property on Airbnb to compensate for their drop in income.
"There has been a sudden stop in bookings," laments Romina Tsitou, owner of two apartments in Koukaki which she has rented on Airbnb since 2014.
"I hope not to have to put my accommodation on the conventional rental market, but I may be forced to do so if the situation drags on," fears the owner, who has made her apartments available to hospital staff.
Stefania Dimitroula, she has decided. Her little Koukaki apartment is now available for long-term rental. "Since the start of summer 2018, he has been constantly busy thanks to Airbnb," explains the 32-year-old Greek woman. However "100% of my reservations were canceled for April, May and June".
Unemployed, Stefania had no choice. "I bet on this amount, about 1,000 euros per month, to compensate for my loss of activity," she said, "pessimistic for the summer season", which the Greek government hopes to start on July 1.
- Return to long-term lease -
The long-term lease is a "real underlying trend", says Patrick Tkatschenko. This real estate agent in Athens, member of the Real Estate Federation of Greece (OMASE), has been contacted, in recent weeks, by several owners wishing to enter the conventional rental market.
"Airbnb is taking a big slap. The consequences of Covid-19 accelerate market regulation. It is extremely brutal," said Tkatschenko to AFP.
A study by Spitogatos, the leading real estate ad platform in Greece, reveals a sharp increase in rental properties on the conventional market during the month of April. In Athens, it exceeds 30% in several central districts.
Dimitris Melachroinos, CEO of Spitogatos, believes "that the proportion of owners opting for long-term rental will continue to increase". It is "a safer choice".
In Athens, 88% of the ads on Airbnb correspond to whole dwellings, according to Inside Airbnb, website of analysis of the American platform. Recourse to the conventional rental market then becomes a solution.
It will also make it possible to clean up a real estate market, in deficit of long-term rentals due to the explosion of tourist apartments offered on Airbnb in recent years. For Mr. Paradias, "the cleanup that will take place with the Covid-19 crisis is necessary".
The American platform "hard hit" by the pandemic announced Tuesday the layoff of a quarter of its 7,500 employees. "We are collectively going through the most painful crisis of our lives," admitted Airbnb boss Brian Chesky.
Airbnb, which has its headquarters in San Francisco, will post in 2020 a turnover "of less than half" that of 2019, and admits not knowing "when the trips will resume". "When they do, it will be different," said Brian Chesky, who promises to return to the "roots and basics" of the business.
- Rebound expected -
Because for many, the tourist apartment, unlike hotels, still has a good future ahead of it, allowing the client to isolate themselves in complete safety.
In Barcelona, Enrique Alcantara is not worried about the future of Airbnb and wants to believe in the "triumph" of the tourist apartment.
The chairman of Apartur, the federation of tourist apartment associations in Barcelona, forecasts an 85% drop in turnover for 2020. But he believes that the tourist apartment "will adapt more easily to the new times that arrive, to the new needs of tourists, especially in terms of security. "
For the time being, overnight stays in tourist apartments have fallen by 65.5% in March in Spain, according to the National Institute of Statistics.
"Travelers will prefer private apartments to feel more secure compared to hotels where they will find themselves interacting with more people," says Stratos Paradias, president of the Hellenic Property Federation (POMIDA) and the International Union of Real Estate Property (UIPI).
"Apartments that will manage to stay on the short-term market should even rebound well", thinks Mr. Paradias, because "Greece, considered as one of the safe countries thanks to its management of the Covid, should benefit from a return tourists faster than elsewhere. "
Also in France, Airbnb expects to see bookings soar again this summer thanks to domestic customers, because the French will spend their holidays in their country.
If "activity is minimal currently due to containment measures", Aurélien Pérol, director of communication for Airbnb France, believes that "the climate of uncertainty on the exact modalities of deconfinement will encourage last minute bookings" .
burx-chv / sl
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