County finds local Airbnb options are shrinking, but occupancy remains stable

ITHACA, N.Y. — To the chagrin of some and the delight of others, Tompkins County is seeing a marked decline in the number of available short-term rentals (STR), typically associated with platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo.

Meanwhile, occupancy levels and average daily rates have remained fairly steady despite the introduction of new regulations in certain municipalities around Tompkins County.

County Tourism Director Nick Helmholdt presented an update on the impact of local municipal short-term rental regulatory efforts to the county’s Housing and Economic Development Committee meeting Wednesday afternoon. For his report, Hemholdt pulled data from the last two years from Airbnb and VRBO, which host the vast majority of the county’s STRs.