POST-COVID19 FEATURES OF SHORT-TERM RENTAL APPLICATIONS. FLEXIBILITY AS A CENTRAL ASPECT OF AIRBNB IN BARCELONA

Abstract

The Airbnb phenomenon in Barcelona has come to occupy a central role in the local public debate. This has all been substantially altered by the global spread of COVID-19. This scenario has promoted a reformulation of the tourist rental scene, of both regular rentals and those that were also involved in the local tourism scene on an informal and/or irregular basis. In this article, we use this context as a starting point in order to analyse how this adaptation of the tourist rental sector has taken place in Barcelona, in relation to a flexible interpretation of the legislation on urban leases. In order to do that, the methodology uses is basically qualitative, although with the support of a survey in a way of triangulation system of research.