On the eve of the new year, Airbnb has once again clamped down on unauthorized parties after announcing a ban on one-night bookings in Canada and 10 other countries from December 31.
On Thursday, Airbnb released a statement saying the ban is intended to prevent unauthorized parties and neighborhood disruption after a ban last year reduced New Year’s Eve party incidents to 56. %.
The ban would ban accounts with negative or nonexistent booking histories from renting out entire listings for one night. There will also be restrictions on the same account trying to book two or three nights, especially in their local area.
Last year, Airbnb introduced this ban in eight countries including; Canada, the United States, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain and the United Kingdom This year, the ban will include not only these countries, but three additional countries; Ireland, Portugal and the Netherlands.
“These proactive safeguards will help promote responsible tourism and help prevent rare undesirable behaviors, while allowing hosts, guests and the community to enjoy year-end celebrations of the them with greater peace of mind,” said Naba Banerjee, director of product and trust operations at Airbnb.
According to Airbnb, an estimated 340,000 guests were restricted from booking on New Year’s Eve, the majority of which were in the US with 120,000 guests.
The ban comes as the company implements a revised ban on parties originally announced in 2020 to limit mass gatherings amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The permanent ban announced in June stipulates severe consequences for guests hosting large parties, including account suspension and removal from the platform.
In October, Airbnb highlighted a ban on Halloween parties after introducing their “anti-party technology,” which looks at an account’s booking history, desired length of stay, and whether a tenant has be local or not.
In 2021, 114,000 people in Canada were blocked from booking for the Halloween weekend, according to Airbnb.
Featuring files from Mitchell Consky and Natasha O’Neill of CTV News.
