UNESCO, Airbnb and the government of Mexico create an alliance to promote tourism for “digital nomads”

The government of Mexico City, UNESCO and Airbnb have announced an alliance “to position the city as the capital of creative tourism and remote workers in Latin America”. The announcement was made by the Mexico City Government Social Networks and Airbnb news section. However, on August 9, 2021, UNESCO unveiled the strategy with the aim of “contributing to the reactivation of tourism in a responsible and sustainable way in Mexico and to extend the benefits of cultural and creative tourism to more communities, Airbnb will encourage, with the accompaniment of the United Nations education, science and culture (“UNESCO”), destinations and experiences outside the traditional tourist circuit.”

In this way, Mexico City joins the list of 20 cities worldwide, along with other destinations such as Dubai, Lisbon, Buenos Aires, Palm Springs and Queensland, to become a welcoming destination for remote workers and digital nomads. This initiative is part of Live and work anywhere on Airbnb campaign launched in May.

Overall, long-term stays (more than 28 days) on Airbnb have increased by almost 25% compared to last year and by almost 90% since Q2 2019. This trend is also present in Mexico City where long-term stays duration have increased by more than 30%. % in Q2 2022 compared to the same period in 2019.
– UNESCO, Airbnb and Mexico City team up to promote the city as a hub for remote work

#EnVivo ▶️ The #JefaDeGobierno ofrece conference of prensa. The company @turismocdmx, @airbnb_mx there @UNESCOMexico. https://t.co/Mjae5Aqcvq

— Gobierno de la Ciudad de México (@GobCDMX) October 26, 2022

To contextualize the strategies that have begun to be put in place, the campaign site “Mexico City: capital of creative tourism“expanded a selection of routes and attractions that cover the entire city, as well as the first three experiences resulting from the workshops that UNESCO led, to add social entrepreneurs to the value chain and connect them with hosts and travelers from all over Mexico and the world.

However, this announcement has sparked several debates questioning the impact of tourism and misinformation disguised as “good intentions”. The reality of big cities is that they are largely made up of people from different states of the country and different countries of the world. However, due to the pandemic situationthe new era of remote work and the phenomenon of “digital nomads”, the issue of access to housing for the local population has revealed different issues that have been forgotten in the political agendas of the last six years.

The main concerns are issues of gentrification and rising prices in some of the main neighborhoods that attract tourism to Mexico City. Over the years, and following different waves, we have seen how some territories evict the local population because, having attractive rental prices for the foreign population who get by with another currency, the rise in housing prices becomes unaffordable for people earning income in local currency. Also, as we know, the phenomenon of “digital nomads” is not regulated, so they do not pay taxes in the territories they inhabit.

Carla Luisa Escoffie Duarte, Lawyer and Master in Human Rights, expressed her opinion on this issue through her social networks:

The problem is not that they are foreigners, and the problem did not start with them. But coming from the North, they are attracted by the cost of living, which has an impact on the urban dynamics of consumption and even housing. No one is saying “they should be deleted”. The problem is that the government of Mexico City promote and encourage the use of Airbnb when it has not generated a diagnosis to know the impact that these platforms have on access to housing. In other words, while in other countries the impact of Airbnb on access to housing is evaluated and measures are adopted to mitigate its effects, Mexico City he is promoted without even questioning the issue.

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According to EIDiario.es, only 40% of Airbnb The supply in Spain comes from people renting a single apartment and 34% is managed by real estate agencies and large landlords. A HuffPost report identified that in New Orleans, the top 10 hosts have 311 units offered. Nothing makes us think that in Mexico this discussion is not necessary, especially knowing the impact of Airbnb documented in several cities around the world, as well as the problem of rental housing in Mexico City. In cities like Paris, Tokyo, Barcelona, ​​New York and Berlin, authorities are monitoring the impact of Airbnb and seek to put in place appropriate measures to avoid or at least mitigate the impact that this phenomenon generates in the lives of the inhabitants. The measures do not necessarily have to be to prohibit, they can be to limit its use, to carry out compulsory registration or tax charges.

Cities, as a reflection of these imposed global systems, demand a much more integral vision with political actions that go far beyond solving immediate problems, to reflect on the actions that build the cities of tomorrow today.

For more information, visit Airbnb partners with Mexico City and UNESCO to position the city as the capital of creative tourism and remote workers in Latin America.