The consolidation of Internet has made possible the growth of the collaborative economy and the appearance of numerous platforms that facilitate an exchange between users. Tourism, and in particular the world of events, is not removed from this reality and, in fact, 30% of the attendees at the Mobile World Congress 2016 no longer stayed in conventional hotels, but in “collaborative” accommodation. The tendency, which affects other spheres, such as transport, seems to be unstoppable, and on the 2 December diverse Catalan and international players debated about the challenges of this economy in the Casa de Convalescència in Barcelona.

The seminar, which had the participation of European politicians, researchers, representatives of online platforms and representatives from the hotel world, came to three conclusions of consensus for the tourism sector:

1) It is essential to regulate the collaborative economy for many reasons (security, competence, urbanism, tax reasons, etc.).

2) The platforms must be transparent with the Administration in order to clarify which accommodation is illegal among those they publish on their webs.

3) The collaborative economy is not the enemy and its capacity must be evaluated to generate quality tourism that enriches specific regions as well as its capacity to produce jobs in the context of crisis economy.

In this link you will find more information about the seminar organised jointly by the Department of Business and Knowledge – Catalan Tourism Agency of the Generalitat and by the network of European regions NECSTour.