The Colombian government proposes a decree to tighten regulation on platforms like Airbnb, aiming to balance technological innovation with clear market rules. Tourism entrepreneurs warn of risks to jobs and lodging inventory, while guilds defend measures to ensure safety and fair competition. The debate highlights the need to formalize these platforms without halting their growth.
The Colombian government's draft decree has reignited the debate on regulating digital platforms like Airbnb, akin to discussions around Uber and Rappi. According to tourism sector entrepreneurs, the new rules could jeopardize over 95% of Airbnb's lodging inventory and more than 215,000 jobs linked to short-term and vacation rentals.
However, advocates for formality argue that these platforms cannot operate as parasitic innovations evading taxes and regulations that apply to traditional market players. The implicit principle that “el vivo vive del bobo,” where the “bobo” is the compliant formal entrepreneur, is unsustainable. Guilds like Anato clarify that the goal is not to eliminate platforms but to regulate them for security, quality, and equal conditions.
Proposed measures include mandatory Registro Nacional de Turismo (RNT) for platforms and owners of non-hotel tourist housing, as well as the creation of the Svcrnt system to verify documentation with chambers of commerce and authorities. This aims to level the playing field in a market where foreign multinationals like Temu, Shein, Uber, and Netflix operate without fully complying with local rules.
The analysis points to two markets: the regulated, mercantile one with safety standards for hotels and transport, and the unregulated, informal one fostering unfair competition and precarization. Regulation would distribute burdens between platforms and providers, protecting users and public finances, without accepting an informal economy that undermines minimum standards. Colombia needs technology integrated into its institutional framework, where innovation does not mean dodging responsibilities.
