One in 10 homes on Skye now an Airbnb

Locals ‘at risk of being priced out of housing market’ Edinburgh’s far TOO popular with tourists

‘No regard for cleanliness’

ITS magnificent landscapes have attracted visitors from every corner of the world.

But as the worldwide popularity of the Isle of Skye continues to rise, it risks joining the likes of London, Barcelona and Amsterdam as a tourist hotspot in danger of being overrun.

The island is the fourth most popular Airbnb destination in Scotland, with Edinburgh and Glasgow the top two.

The online rental site allows users to advertise spare rooms or empty homes to visitors. But its popularity has led to one in ten homes on Skye being up for let.

The figures published by Airbnb also indicate that its customers provided a £693million boost to the Scottish economy in 2018.

However, the situation has sparked criticism from residents, housing associations and politicians, who have raised concerns

Yesterday’s Daily Mail

that locals are at risk of being priced out because of a limited number of homes on the isle.

One resident, who gave her name as Alice and lives near one of Airbnb’s highest-rated properties in the area, said: ‘Since the owners across from us started renting out their place, there has been considerable noise and littering.

‘The people who stay there have no regard for cleanliness. Some are nice but others just throw loud parties and make noise and leave discarded bottles on the floor.’ Ashley Campbell, of the Chartered Institute of Housing, said: ‘Airbnb and other online platforms undoubtedly support tourism.

‘But this can also lead to residential homes being converted into permanent holiday lets in large numbers, which limits the number of homes available to local residents and can push up prices.

‘This can be a particular issue in rural areas like the Isle of Skye where housing is already in short supply.’ It follows concerns highlighted in the Mail yesterday that Edinburgh residents have ‘had enough’ of the ‘problems high tourist numbers are causing’.

According to Airbnb, of the £693million boost to Scotland, three-quarters was spent outside the cost of accommodation. It said its guests spent an average of £100 per day on activities such as sightseeing and buying food. MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch Kate Forbes said the online rental service’s growth must be ‘balanced with ensuring there is adequate housing for local people’.

She said: ‘Airbnb is a platform which makes it easier for my constituents to bring in an income to supplement their other jobs.

‘I think it’s a good thing people directly benefit from this growth and it’s ploughed into the local Highland economy.

‘It has to be balanced with ensuring that there is adequate housing for local people.’

A spokesman for Airbnb said: ‘Guests on Airbnb accounted for 3 per cent of visitors in 2018 but boosted the Scottish economy by more than £13million a week.

‘Entire homes on Airbnb account for less than 1 per cent of housing stock in Scotland and more than £13million a week.

‘More than a quarter of listings on Airbnb on the Isle of Skye are categorised by hosts as boutique hotels or guest houses.’