New Report on Airbnb Tourism in Rural Nordic Regions

Hrísey - picture: Vera Vilhjálmsdóttir

ITRC has published a new report, Airbnb Tourism in Rural Nordic Regions: Impacts and Stakeholder Challenges, examining the impacts of Airbnb on tourism in rural Nordic regions.

The report is based on a research project funded by the Nordregio–NAPA Arctic Cooperation Programme between 2021 and 2023. The project investigated the scale and characteristics of Airbnb activity in three rural Nordic case regions: North Iceland, North Jutland (Denmark), and Nordland (Norway) – read more here.

This report focuses on the interactions between stakeholders in the Airbnb tourism sector and the wider tourism industry, exploring the opportunities and challenges arising from these relationships and their implications for tourism governance in rural destinations.

Read the report in its entirety HERE.

The findings highlight both opportunities and challenges associated with Airbnb tourism. While the expansion of Airbnb has created new possibilities for rural destinations, limited collaboration and weak connections between Airbnb hosts and traditional tourism stakeholders have contributed to governance challenges, including pressure on local communities, housing markets, and tourism infrastructure. At the same time, the research reveals a willingness among both Airbnb hosts and tourism stakeholders to strengthen collaboration, creating opportunities for more integrated and sustainable tourism development across rural Nordic regions.