An MEP for Ireland South says proposed legislation on short-term lets will devastate rural economies like Dingle.
Writing in today's Irish Examiner, Fianna Fáil's Cynthia Ní Mhurchú states that short-term lets like Airbnbs help bring visitors to places like the Dingle Peninsula.
She also said many people earn their living from tourism-related jobs, such as surf schools, dive centres, laundrettes, and boat tours.
In her article, MEP Ní Mhurchú accused Kerry County Council of regularly refusing planning permission for new hotels, holiday parks, and guesthouses.
She alleges it has been sending "cease and desist" letters to Airbnb hosts in the area for over a year.
She claims the council has an abysmal record when it comes to granting planning permission for tourist accommodation on Dingle’s north shore.
The lack of planning permission and the crack-down on short-term lets is, according to MEP Ní Mhurchú, leaving tourists with fewer places to stay, and keeping them away from tourist areas.
She says solving the housing crisis shouldn’t create a tourism crisis, and that these two issues need to be handled together, instead of at the cost of one another.
Claims that Airbnb restrictions will return thousands of homes to the rental market are disputed.
She says planning laws and rental rules have become so complex and costly that many small landlords are simply giving up.
