Fabrice Loher, President of Lorient Agglomeration and Mayor of Lorient, shares the concerns expressed by tourism stakeholders in the Pays de Lorient regarding the increase in the supply of short-term furnished tourist accommodation in the area.
“The evolution of the number of short-term furnished tourist accommodation in our territory is a phenomenon to which we must be very vigilant. This type of rental from individual to individual via online platforms (Air B&B or Booking) is indeed a component of tourism but must not turn into a risk of transferring housing from the traditional rental stock to the short-term rental stock. In order to precisely assess this phenomenon and its evolution across the entire urban area, the Conference of Mayors, a body bringing together the 25 mayors of the territory, has decided to conduct a study with its urban planning agency Audélor. The municipalities of Lorient and Port-Louis have already taken regulatory measures, including mandatory registration. The results of this study will make it possible to finely objectify this phenomenon, municipality by municipality, and its consequences on the rental stock. In the long term, regulatory measures could be taken at the scale of the urban area.
I would like to remind you that Lorient Agglomeration and its Local Housing Programme 2024-2029 have as a priority to meet the housing needs of the inhabitants of the territory who are finding it increasingly difficult to find accommodation on the private market, whether for purchase or rental. The supply of short-term furnished tourist rentals must not have a strong impact on the share of the territory’s rental housing stock, particularly in coastal municipalities.”
