In the absence of national mapping, the work of the National Collective of Permanent Residents made it possible to establish the geographical distribution of these tourist rentals for eight regions of mainland France: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Brittany, Île-de-France, Normandy, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie, Pays de la Loire and Provence-Alpes- French Riviera. A work whose validity Airbnb contests without releasing alternative data. Based on these figures and locations, here are five surprising pieces of information that go against what one might imagine about this type of tourist rental.
1. In Paris, the Marais is not champion
It’s a clear cause: the Parisian district of Marais has transformed in recent years into a veritable AirbnbLand. However, according to figures from the National Collective of Permanent Residents, of the 27,971 Airbnb rentals in the capital, there are only 1,009 in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. Only the 1st, 5th, 6th and 7th offer fewer. Even adding the 1,444 accommodations offered in the 3rd arrondissement, often called Haut-Marais, we remain quite far from the champion. It is in fact the 18th arrondissement, a favorite base for fans of Montmartre and Amélie Poulain, which takes the prize with 2,669 rentals. (Find here the map of Airbnb accommodation in Île-de-France)
2. The champion city of Normandy is not the most touristy
Deauville, Cabourg, Honfleur? Normandy has no shortage of tourist towns that need to stock up on Airbnb accommodations. At the departmental level, the fact that Calvados is in the lead (11,877 accommodations ahead of 7,623 for Seine-Maritime and 7,204 for Manche) seems to confirm this trend. However, by consulting the figures by municipality, we see a premium in large cities. It is Rouen, the undisputed number 1 (1456 rentals) ahead of Le Havre (997) and Caen (910). Other tourist destinations offer between 700 and 800. (Find here the locations of the Airbnb accommodations offered in Normandy)
3. This department of Occitanie has twice as many tourist rentals per inhabitant as the capital
Who would’ve believed that? With 27,369 accommodations offered on Airbnb, Hérault, within the Occitanie region, is almost on par with Paris and its 27,971 offers. However, the department is half as populated as the capital. Montpellier leads the region (4,133 rentals), ahead of Toulouse (3,812), Agde (3,564) and Nîmes (1,847). The gap with Paris is even greater in a very touristy department like Var which has 38,277 for a population almost identical to that of Hérault. This department of PACA therefore offers 2.7 times more Airbnb rentals per inhabitant than Paris. (Find the locations of Airbnb accommodation in the Occitanie region here)
4. Rillette surpasses petit-beurre
Heading towards the Pays-de-la-Loire region, it is difficult to see who could challenge the crown in Nantes. And yet, the city of the Dukes of Brittany only offers 2,132 possibilities on Airbnb, whereas Le Mans has 2,441. A state of affairs linked to motorsport races attracting many spectators while the sector does not have a huge number of hotel accommodation. (Find here the locations of Airbnb rentals in the Pays-de-la-Loire region)
5. Auvergne-Rhône Alpes, land of contrasts
It is one of the regions which offers the strongest contrast with a department offering very few tourist rentals while another offers a lot. In this game, the poor relation is Cantal with its 1600 possibilities while Haute-Savoie has no less than 25162. (Find here the map of Airbnb rentals in Auvergne-Rhône Alpes)