The discussion about the future of short-term rentals has once again become firmly established in the Colombian tourism sector, this time driven by a regulatory project that, according to business people and operators, could profoundly change the functioning of platforms such as Airbnb and the supply of non-hotel tourist accommodation in the country.
The trigger was the publication of a draft decree by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism, which proposes a tightening of the rules for all actors related to the activity. The proposal stipulates, among other things, that digital accommodation platforms must have a National Tourism Register (RNT), that all owners of non-hotel tourist accommodation will be officially registered in this register and that, with the support of chambers of commerce and other authorities, the verification and control system of the National Tourism Register (Svcrnt) will be introduced to validate the documentation of accommodation.
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Although the government presents it as a strategy of control and regulation, entrepreneurs in the industry warn that the impact could be drastic. In his opinion, the new regulatory framework would jeopardize the continued existence of the majority of accommodation offered in the short-term rental model. “The consequences would be the disappearance of more than 95% of Airbnb’s real estate inventory. This puts at risk more than 215,000 jobs that depend on the short-term and vacation rental industry,” Xavier Camilo Cárdenas, CEO of Wellcome Travel, told the newspaper. The Republic.
The concerns are not just limited to the number of properties. The private sector is also warning of possible far-reaching economic effects. In 2024, Airbnb’s total impact in Colombia was $10.6 billion. Of this, $1.6 billion directly benefited hosts, while the remaining $9 billion benefited other tourism-related sectors such as trade, transportation, restaurants and entertainment.
In this context, the company defends its role in the local economy. “These numbers show how the Airbnb platform contributes to Colombia’s economic development by generating revenue that reaches local communities,” said Fiamma Zarife, general manager of Airbnb in South America, presenting the results in October.
Another point of concern is the impact on formalization. According to Cárdenas, the decree could have the opposite effect of what was intended: “Formalization in this sector will also decrease, although tourist accommodation accounts for more than 77.64% of the total establishments with RNT.” According to his analysis, introducing greater barriers could push many operators into informality rather than integrating them into the system.
The criticism extends to the proposed control mechanism. Sergio Mutis, President of Grupo Valor, openly questioned the Svcrnt in the aforementioned medium and described it as “absurd”. It is more harmful than positive. It creates bureaucracy, it ultimately creates mechanisms of corruption and, most importantly, it will impact the tourism market.” For the businessman, the underlying problem lies in an excess of regulation: “The general greater good is that employment and the economy grow; and the particular greater good is that tourism grows. When the norm is excessive, the greater good is the first victim. “So many unnecessary rules end up sabotaging the common good they were intended to guarantee.”
Mutis also warned that the rule would have an uneven scope across the territory. “Such a rule would not apply in rural areas. An accommodation that rents a room will never be included in the national tourism register. That will not happen even if they issue a decree.” As he explained, the real impact would be concentrated on the cities with the largest influx of visitors, such as Bogotá, the main destinations in the Caribbean, the coffee region and especially Medellín.
Adding to these concerns is a security component. For Cárdenas, a severe restriction on the operation of digital platforms could have undesirable consequences. “Strict regulation could be counterproductive and lead to more informality, insecurity and a deterioration in coexistence. Platforms like Airbnb have security measures and algorithms that have proven to be effective,” he said.
However, there is support for the official initiative from the hotel and tourism union. Anato’s president, Paula Cortés, addressed the criticism, stating: “It is not true that the platforms should disappear from the country, but that they should be regulated from the point of view of security, quality and equal conditions.” As he explained, the project is the result of joint working groups with the ministry. “All of us from the tourism sector unions have been working hand in hand with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism in working groups to look for a way to put an end to the informality in tourism matters that exists in the country,” he noted.
Cortés added that one of the central objectives of the decree is to strengthen interoperability between entities. “Among the points to be modified in this draft decree, published for comment, is the interoperability of the register with the Industry and Commerce Inspectorate, the Ministry of Commerce and the Chambers of Commerce that maintain the register. This is intended to allow easier identification of tour operators in Colombia.”
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