Travel firm Tui puts blame for overtourism on short-term lets

Europe's biggest travel operator, Tui, has hit back at an accusation by Airbnb that "overtourism" is the fault of the hotel industry, arguing that short-term home rentals companies are instead to blame.

- Mark Sweney

Tensions have risen between rivals in the tourism industry after protests by local people against overcrowding, rising housing costs and bad behaviour by tourists in some holiday hotspots across the continent.

Theo Yedinsky, the vice-president for public policy at Airbnb, said in an interview that the company was being unfairly blamed and being made a "scapegoat" by local authorities and protesters.

"We end up getting a lot of the blame, especially in city centres, but the reality is overtourism is really driven by hotels," Yedinsky told the Financial Times. "It is totally unfair. They are scapegoating Airbnb."