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This sub-section explores how the conversion of housing into tourist accommodation is experienced by residents. The aim is to better understand the impacts that vacation flats cause on communities and, by so doing, to comprehend why they are being resisted. Put simply, as short-term rentals are an appealing business opportunity, long-term residents represent a barrier to capital accumulation. Notwithstanding, the displacement process is not so straight forward and actually takes several forms. The empirical work confirms the occurrence of the different types of displacement conceptualised by Marcuse (1985): direct displacement, exclusionary displacement and displacement pressures.

Table 1 This sub-section explores how the conversion of housing into tourist accommodation is experienced by residents. The aim is to better understand the impacts that vacation flats cause on communities and, by so doing, to comprehend why they are being resisted. Put simply, as short-term rentals are an appealing business opportunity, long-term residents represent a barrier to capital accumulation. Notwithstanding, the displacement process is not so straight forward and actually takes several forms. The empirical work confirms the occurrence of the different types of displacement conceptualised by Marcuse (1985): direct displacement, exclusionary displacement and displacement pressures.

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This paper is the result of a mixed method research approach that took place in Barcelona between February and October 2015. The case study was the so-called Gotic neighbourhood in Barcelona's historic centre (Cocola Gant 2014a; 2014b). The area is a middle class neighbourhood that had been experiencing a process of classical gentrification since the early 1990s. A survey of 220 households was conducted with the aim of gathering data about housing conditions and to estimate the supply of holiday rentals. For this purpose, other secondary sources were also used, in particular Airbnb and Inside Airbnb. However, the research emphasised the qualitative approach as the main goal of the project was to give voice to long-term residents in order to examine how the growth of holiday apartments affects them on a daily basis. In this regard, 42 in-depth interviews were conducted as well as participant observation. Community contestation against vacation rentals is a visible practice in Barcelona's city centre (Figure 1). However, | was more concerned with the hidden impacts that holiday apartments have on the everyday lives of residents. | did not ask residents about how they organise their political actions against the growth of tourist accommodation, but instead | asked why such a growth is seen by many as the main cause of tension in the neighbourhood. Importantly, 40 out of the 42 interviewees stated that holiday rentals displace residents. They talked about expulsions, harassment, rent increase, affordability problems, the pressure of tourist investors, daily disruptions and so on. In other words, they reflected different forms of displacement.
This paper is the result of a mixed method research approach that took place in Barcelona between February and October 2015. The case study was the so-called Gotic neighbourhood in Barcelona's historic centre (Cocola Gant 2014a; 2014b). The area is a middle class neighbourhood that had been experiencing a process of classical gentrification since the early 1990s. A survey of 220 households was conducted with the aim of gathering data about housing conditions and to estimate the supply of holiday rentals. For this purpose, other secondary sources were also used, in particular Airbnb and Inside Airbnb. However, the research emphasised the qualitative approach as the main goal of the project was to give voice to long-term residents in order to examine how the growth of holiday apartments affects them on a daily basis. In this regard, 42 in-depth interviews were conducted as well as participant observation. Community contestation against vacation rentals is a visible practice in Barcelona's city centre (Figure 1). However, | was more concerned with the hidden impacts that holiday apartments have on the everyday lives of residents. | did not ask residents about how they organise their political actions against the growth of tourist accommodation, but instead | asked why such a growth is seen by many as the main cause of tension in the neighbourhood. Importantly, 40 out of the 42 interviewees stated that holiday rentals displace residents. They talked about expulsions, harassment, rent increase, affordability problems, the pressure of tourist investors, daily disruptions and so on. In other words, they reflected different forms of displacement.
Figure 2. Flats listed in Airobnb Barcelona. 2 October, 2015. Source: compiled from Inside Airbnb. Nowadays, an exploration of the supply of vacation flats shows the extent to which housing has been converted into accommodation for visitors. Airbnb does not reveal how many apartments they list or how many ‘hosts' use the portal. By checking the website, one can only see the number of apartments listed at that moment but it does not show the apartments that have been booked. Therefore, the total number of apartments taken out from the housing stock will always be larger than the apartments listed on Airbnb during any specific day. In any case, data gathered from Airbnb is useful in terms of understanding the phenomenon and in comparing the supply in different areas. The project 'Inside Airbnb' captures such a supply in several cities every few months, including Barcelona. | use the listing captured by Inside Airobnb on 2nd October, 2015, which produces the following distribution:
Figure 2. Flats listed in Airobnb Barcelona. 2 October, 2015. Source: compiled from Inside Airbnb. Nowadays, an exploration of the supply of vacation flats shows the extent to which housing has been converted into accommodation for visitors. Airbnb does not reveal how many apartments they list or how many ‘hosts' use the portal. By checking the website, one can only see the number of apartments listed at that moment but it does not show the apartments that have been booked. Therefore, the total number of apartments taken out from the housing stock will always be larger than the apartments listed on Airbnb during any specific day. In any case, data gathered from Airbnb is useful in terms of understanding the phenomenon and in comparing the supply in different areas. The project 'Inside Airbnb' captures such a supply in several cities every few months, including Barcelona. | use the listing captured by Inside Airobnb on 2nd October, 2015, which produces the following distribution:
In Barcelona, there were 14,539 flats listed on Airbnb. Interestingly, those flats represent 2.2% of existing households. However, the phenomenon is uneven and there is a strong concentration in central areas. In the historic centre (the district called Ciutat Vella) the proportion is 9.6%. Ciutat Vella has four neighbourhoods, of which the Gotic has a proportion of 16.8%. Therefore, in the Gotic neighbourhood, 1 out of 6 apartments were listed on Airbnb on 24 October, 2015. These proportions can be seen in the following table:
In Barcelona, there were 14,539 flats listed on Airbnb. Interestingly, those flats represent 2.2% of existing households. However, the phenomenon is uneven and there is a strong concentration in central areas. In the historic centre (the district called Ciutat Vella) the proportion is 9.6%. Ciutat Vella has four neighbourhoods, of which the Gotic has a proportion of 16.8%. Therefore, in the Gotic neighbourhood, 1 out of 6 apartments were listed on Airbnb on 24 October, 2015. These proportions can be seen in the following table:
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Tourism Studies
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