AIRBNB & WORLD HERITAGE

Year

2025 - Ongoing

Area of Study

Historic Centre of Cuenca, Ecuador, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Introduction

This project, formally titled “Unveiling the Dynamics of Short-Term Rental Accommodation through Digital Platforms (Airbnb) from a Multi-Actor Perspective in World Heritage Intermediate Cities: An Approach to the Historic Center of Cuenca”, examines how digital accommodation platforms are reshaping tourism dynamics, urban housing systems, and heritage management in the Historic Center of Cuenca, Ecuador.

The rapid expansion of digital platforms such as Airbnb has transformed the structure of urban tourism and the accommodation sector in cities around the world. In historic urban environments, especially those recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, this transformation introduces new opportunities as well as complex challenges related to housing markets, heritage conservation, urban governance, and community life.

This research project examines the dynamics of short-term rental accommodation mediated by digital platforms, focusing on the Historic Centre of Cuenca, Ecuador. The city represents a particularly relevant case study as a medium-sized heritage city where tourism growth, cultural heritage management, and urban residential dynamics intersect.

Digital platforms have enabled new actors to participate in the tourism economy while also reshaping the ways in which housing, hospitality, and urban space are used. Similar studies in other cities have shown that platforms like Airbnb can significantly influence local housing markets, spatial tourism patterns, and the social dynamics of urban neighborhoods.

Program Description

The project adopts a multi-actor perspective to understand how short-term rentals affect different stakeholders involved in the tourism ecosystem. These include local residents, property owners, hosts operating through digital platforms, tourists, tourism businesses, and public institutions responsible for urban planning and heritage management.

Through a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods, the study analyzes the distribution, characteristics, and motivations behind Airbnb listings in the historic center of Cuenca. Data collection methods include spatial analysis of listings, stakeholder interviews, surveys, and the examination of digital platform information.

The research explores several key dimensions:

• Spatial dynamics of short-term rentals, identifying where listings are concentrated within the historic centre and how they relate to heritage attractions, cultural spaces, and tourism infrastructure.

• Host profiles and motivations, examining whether hosts primarily use the platform as a complementary income strategy, a professional tourism business, or part of a broader property investment strategy.

• Impacts on urban life, including potential effects on housing availability, neighborhood dynamics, and the everyday use of historic urban spaces.

• Governance and regulation, analyzing how existing tourism and urban policies respond to the rise of platform-mediated accommodation.

The study also situates the Cuenca case within a broader debate on platform-mediated tourism and urban transformation, recognizing that digital platforms increasingly influence how tourism spaces are produced and perceived within cities.

Purpose and Impact

The project aims to provide a deeper understanding of how short-term rental platforms interact with tourism development, housing systems, and heritage management in intermediate World Heritage cities.

By examining the perspectives of multiple stakeholders, the research seeks to support more balanced and evidence-based policy approaches for managing tourism growth in the historic centre of Cuenca. The findings contribute to ongoing discussions on sustainable urban tourism, particularly in heritage cities where maintaining the delicate balance between economic development, cultural preservation, and quality of life for residents is essential.

Ultimately, the project contributes to the broader mission of the PREIT-tour research platform, which promotes research-based education and collaborative approaches to support sustainable development through tourism in southern Ecuador.