Marseille, due to host sailing and football during next year's Olympics, is part of a new group in France protesting about Airbnb ©Airbnb

A group of French cities and towns have formed an alliance to protest against the influence of Olympics sponsor Airbnb, who they claim are driving up property prices and forcing locals to leave their areas.

The cities involved in the campaign include Marseille, which is due to host the sailing competition and football matches during next year's Olympics Games.

They are part of a coalition of 20 communities who have joined forces to press for French Government action against what they describe as a blight that is disrupting life in their towns.

"This is destruction," Franck Rolland, a Saint Malo activist who heads the national group, said at a news conference.

"Entire neighbourhoods are being emptied."

Airbnb, an online marketplace for short and long-term homestays, were unveiled by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as a top-tier sponsor in November 2019 in a nine-year deal worth $500 million (£403 million/€468 million).

Airbnb is advertising 800,000 offers of accommodation in France, with 22,000 in Paris, the protest group claimed, although the figure in the French capital is expected to raise to over 100,000 as the Olympic and Paralympic Games draws closer.

Marseille is among cities and towns who fear that Airbnb are helping drive local people from the city ©Airbnb
Marseille is among cities and towns who fear that Airbnb are helping drive local people from the city ©Airbnb

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is a particular high-profile critic of the San-Francisco based company.

She believes many Parisian residents are being priced out of the rental market.

Shortly after Airbnb's sponsorship deal with the IOC was announced, Hidalgo wrote to its President Thomas Bach to "alert him of the risks and consequences" of the deal and assure him of her "absolute determination to make sure regulations relating to rental platforms are reinforced".

Prior to that, Hidalgo's administration had revealed that it was suing Airbnb for publishing 1,000 illegal rental adverts, which would have cost the company over €12.5 million (£10.8 million/$13.4 million).

In 2020, following her re-election, she announced plans to hold a referendum on Airbnb and other platforms’ short-term rental operations in the city.

So far, no such referendum has taken place.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has publicly criticised the IOC's sponsorship deal with Airbnb but many locals are expected to cash in by renting out their properties during next year's Olympic and Paralympic Games ©Getty Images
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has publicly criticised the IOC's sponsorship deal with Airbnb but many locals are expected to cash in by renting out their properties during next year's Olympic and Paralympic Games ©Getty Images

Paris has, however, imposed a string of conditions that have cramped the activities of Airbnb and its smaller rivals.

Homeowners are restricted to letting their primary residence for a maximum of 120 days a year.

Non-resident owners and anyone wanting to rent a property out for more than 120 days must register as a business.

Non-resident owners must also convert a commercial property into a residential one to qualify.

But the potential rewards of the Olympics, with some two-room flats in the city already being advertised for up to €10,500 (£9,000/$11,200) a night, is tempting many Parisians to investigate renting out their accommodation during the Games.