Airbnb offers 5,000 rooms; Hoteilers want it to pay taxes in Puebla

The hotel sector in Puebla remains affected by Airbnb, where individuals rent their apartments or homes to travelers

Manuel Domínguez Gabián, President of the Poblana Association of Hotels and Motels, said that through this platform, about 5,000 rooms are offered in this way.

This figure is high, considering that it almost represents 50 percent of the more than 12,000 hotel rooms offered in the city.

He pointed out that from the local they can do little because the regulation must be given at the federal level.

However, he commented that from the Mexican Association of Hotels and Motels, which is affiliated with his fellow Pueblans. There have already been talks with senators and deputies to force Airbnb to pay taxes in the country.

"We are not against, what we are wanting is to pay taxes and pay for things as we pay them in hotels. We want them to pay the percentage of lodging tax that we are going to pay as of January 1st."

Domínguez Gabián explained that even when hotels offer cheap accommodation, the prices offered on the aforementioned platform are up to 20 or 30 percent lower.

He added that although they have been affected by the operation of this application, it is not the only thing that is negatively impacting, since our country also registers a drop of 18 percent in the arrival of international tourists.

To that is added the closure of the Tourism Promotion Council of Mexico and that the entrepreneurs of the sector do not see a clear direction in public policies in the field of tourism, stressed the head hotelier in Puebla.

"What you have to work on is to bring more tourism for everyone and work on having better hotel and Airbnb rooms."

Another factor that is negatively affecting the occupation, he added, is the insecurity and the image that is projected to the world of our country.

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