The European Holiday Home Association (EHHA) is founded
The holiday rentals industry in Europe is believed to be worth over €20bn per year and over 20 million annual bed nights. According to PhoCusWright 42 million European adults have stayed in a rental home in the last year.
So why does no governing body exist to liaise with European politicians about the influence of such a massive industry?
The European Holiday Home Association (EHHA) was co-founded by holiday rental booking portals Interhome, Novasol, Hoseasons and Dan Center which list more than 100,000 letting properties across Europe. It comes as a response ‘to the proposal from the European Commission to revise the Package Travel Directive as an opportunity to modernise regulation of the tourism sector’.
According to newly-appointed EHHA General Secretary Carlos Villaro Lassen:
We have two problems in the holiday home sector. First, the holiday home sector doesn ́t have a strong voice in the tourism debate, which is wrong because many parts of Europe have more holiday home beds than any other kind of accommodation type. Second, the holiday home sector is extremely fragmented and immature with a myriad of small players that doesn’t speak together.
The principle issues of rising energy costs, legal restrictions and taxation appear to be top of the agenda. The European Holiday Home Association also wants holiday home owners to be allowed ‘work with other local tourism businesses to the benefit of consumers and the local economy’.
All European companies and national associations are invited to join the EHHA.