publicizing New York City user data in 2016, Airbnb has been accused by various third party
researchers of manipulating the data sets to skew and thus subdue the situation.
17
3.2 Alternative Data Sources
Clearly demonstrating an untrustworthiness, Airbnb leaves the burden of understanding
in the hands of consumers. Author Tom Slee collects and publishes data on Airbnb across the
globe and has been doing so since 2013. He can ensure that the data collective gives a count of
Airbnb listings in a city usually within ten percent of the correct number. Third party
organization Inside Airbnb conducts and makes available similar information. Through these
data sets on Paris, one can conclude, as of September 2016, that 85.7% of all listings in the
metropolitan area constitute as entire home listings. Additionally, 20.8% of listings are held by
hosts who hold multiple listings
18
despite Airbnb’s reported number of 7%.
19
As mentioned
previously, the collection of other statistical information consists of compiling and piecing
together a variety of sources to create a comprehensive picture of the scope and depth of
Airbnb’s Parisian presence. Between 2008 and October 2015, 5 million tourists used Airbnb to
find accommodations, half of those visitors booked in 2015 alone
20
. Additionally, “Airbnb’s pool
of places to stay in Paris grew 64 percent, to 71,852 listings, between March 2015 and March
2016.
21
Those in favor of stricter second-home legislation base their opinions on the findings that
Paris holds 100,000 permanently unoccupied homes with an additional 92,000 second homes.
22
17
Kokalitcheva, Kia. "Researchers Say Airbnb Purged N.Y.C. Home Listings For Its P.R. Strategy." Researchers Say
Airbnb Manipulated New York City Listing Data | Fortune.com. Fortune, 12 Feb. 2016. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.
18
"Paris. Adding Data to the Debate." Inside Airbnb. Inside Airbnb, 03 Sept. 2016. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.
19
"Airbnb Economic Impact in France: Paris." The Airbnb Blog Belong Anywhere. Airbnb, 12 Nov. 2015. Web. 24 Apr.
2017.
20
O'Driscoll, Ellie. "In Numbers: How Airbnb Has Conquered Paris." The Local Fr. The Local, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.
21
Taylor, Harriet. "How Airbnb Is Growing a Far-flung Global Empire." CNBC. CNBC, 08 June 2016. Web. 11 Apr.
2017.
22
O'Sullivan, Feargus. "Europe's Crackdown on Airbnb." City Lab. The Atlantic, 20 June 2016. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.