The Government of Mexico City enacted this Thursday to “stop gentrification” reforms to regulate Airbnb and other digital platforms that include a registry of hosts and a limit of three properties offered per person.
“It is a brake on processes of gentrification, expulsion, displacement of neighbors,” declared the head of Government of Mexico City, Martí Batres, at a press conference.
Among the modifications to the Tourism Law of Mexico City The creation of a ‘Host Register’ stands out, in which property owners who want to rent them on digital platforms must register. of accommodation.
“There is a limit of three properties registered per host,” warned Eduardo Clark García, head of the Digital Agency for Public Innovation.
Digital applications, such as Airbnb and Booking, must also register in a ‘Register of platforms’, the official said.
Every six months, hosts must submit a report on the occupancy of the property.
The Secretary of Tourism of Mexico City It also requires that those who offer their homes on these platforms inform their neighbors..
García indicated that hosts must provide data such as name, identification, their Federal Taxpayer Registry (RFC) number, their proof of tax status, and prove ownership or possession of the property they are offering.
Accommodations must display the host’s contact information and the proof and registration folio of the registry.
“We are creating for the first time the concept of ‘Eventual tourist stay’ as a temporary stay service in a propertys that have residential use in exchange for a consideration,” said the official.
The legislation is enacted amid an increase in international tourists to Mexico City, particularly American digital nomads, who began arriving in the Mexican capital during the Covid-19 pandemic to work remotely.
Tourism represents 9.1% of Mexico City’s gross domestic product (GDP) and 18.74% of the national tourism economy, according to Nathalie Desplas, the capital’s Secretary of Tourism.
The city received 2.2 million tourists in hotels in the first two months, in addition to an estimated 3.4 million who stay in the homes of relatives, friends or digital platformshe detailed.
“Of course we are an open city and we are open to foreign visitors, but we also want there to be harmony and balance and for people to maintain their way of life,” argued the head of Government.
