Global Regulatory Notes (16)

GREECE

Greece has enacted its first national Special Spatial Planning Framework for Tourism which is adopted by joint ministerial decision on August 7, 2026. The new framework allows authorities to impose geographic restrictions on short-term rentals along with limits on how long properties can operate each year in high-pressure tourism zones.

New rules for tourist development in Greece

The government’s new Special Spatial Planning Framework for Tourism aims to combine touristic development with protection of the environment and quality of life.

The Kolymbari Courierafraton45

Beyond rentals, the rules raise minimum plot sizes for new hotels built outside urban plans to as much as 16 stremmas and ban all construction within 25 meters of the shoreline. Smaller islands such as Mykonos and Santorini face a 100-bed cap on new hotel units.

TURKEY

Nearly a decade after Booking.com was blocked by court order in 2017, lawmakers in Turkey have submitted a 10-article bill to parliament that would let foreign booking platforms like Airbnb and Expedia operate legally again. The Foreign Digital Accommodation Platforms Law Proposal was introduced by ruling AK Party deputies in August 2026.

Under the bill, platforms must secure a two-year permit from the Culture and Tourism Ministry for TL 5 million (about $105,000) and appoint at least one Turkish representative. Commissions are capped at 17% of the sale price and a 0.075% tourism fee applies while existing operators get three months to comply.

Yabancı Dijital Konaklama Platformları Kanunu Teklifi TBMM’de

AK Parti milletvekillerinin imzasını taşıyan Yabancı Dijital Konaklama Platformları Kanunu Teklifi, TBMM Başkanlığına sunuldu. | Anadolu Ajansı

Anadolu AjansıSeval Ocak, İsa Toprak

🍁 WHITEHORSE, YT 🍁

City administrators in Whitehorse presented a package of proposed bylaw amendments on August 18 to prepare for new short-term rental regulations taking effect October 1. The rules will let operators run one STR on a non-primary-residence property in residential zones until October 1, 2027. After that date, rentals must sit on the operator's primary residence property with up to three units allowed there.

Commercial zones remain exempt with no limit on rentals. The proposed amendments would update the fees and charges bylaw and the business license bylaw while creating a dedicated STR license category, all of which heads to council for a vote next week.

BULGARIA

Starting in 2027, short-term rental apartments in Bulgaria will be registered in the country's Unified Tourism Information System. Tourism Minister Ilin Dimitrov confirmed the timeline in Varna on August 15 and said the change follows European Commission regulations built into the government program through 2030. The aim is to record the real number of overnight stays and close transparency gaps.

The announcement came with broader reforms such as a 35% municipal tourist tax spending rule for marketing and stronger guarantee funds protecting travelers from tour operator bankruptcies.

NEW ZEALAND

A new "local tourism dividend" pitched by the ACT Party which could start July 1, 2027 would hand New Zealand councils $1 for every guest night instead of a bed tax . Leader David Seymour unveiled the plan on August 14 and said it would redirect roughly $40.6 million annually from GST and visitor levies tourists already pay. Auckland would receive about $8.2 million while Queenstown gets $4.9 million.

ACT New Zealand

We believe it is inherent in the nature of human beings as individuals that they are the owners of their own lives and must be free to act according to their own judgments so long as they accept and respect the like freedom of others.

Payments would flow automatically from Accommodation Data Programme records so hotels and hosts face no new filing.

SAUDI ARABIA

Stricter licensing and classification standards now govern Hajj season accommodation in Saudi Arabia after the Ministry of Tourism approved sweeping updates in August 2026. The rules apply to facilities hosting pilgrims in Makkah and Madinah during the 1448 AH season in 2027 and include a formal schedule of violations.

Facilities must demonstrate operational readiness along with reliable safety standards and essential services before opening their doors to pilgrims. The framework also sorts properties into economy and first-class tiers with requirements spanning guest rooms and reception areas through to cleanliness and service quality. Inspections take place before licensing and again before operations begin then continue throughout the season.

🍁 CLEARWATER, BC 🍁

For the first time, short-term rentals would be written into Clearwater's zoning bylaw under a draft the British Columbia district presented at an open house weeks ago and with target adoption in September following a public hearing. The proposal permits STRs across all residential zones plus mixed-use and general and recreational commercial zones. Officials stress the draft remains subject to revision as council weighs how much regulation to apply.

District of Clearwater taking feedback on proposed zoning bylaw changes - Barriere North Thompson Star

An open house on the subject was held on July 30

Barriere North Thompson StarJosh Fischlin

The stakes are real for local operators with one resident saying that the province pulled his two Airbnb cabin listings in early August because he lacked a business license under the district's April framework.

THAILAND

Hotel operators in Thailand's capital are pushing back on a proposed 3% tax on room charges that Governor Chadchart Sittipunt says could raise about 1 billion baht a year for the city. The plan requires amending the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Act since the city currently lacks the legal authority that provincial governments have held since 1997 as reported.

The Thai Hotels Association says members accept a levy in principle but want it phased in at 0.5% to 1% while tourism struggles as foreign arrivals stand at only 18.5 million this year and down 3%. The group also warns that illegal accommodations would escape the tax entirely.

(คลิป) เคาะแล้ว เก็บค่าเหยียบแผ่นดินนักท่องเที่ยวต่างชาติ 450 บาท - The Bangkok Insight

เคาะแล้ว เก็บค่าเหยียบแผ่นดิน นักท่องเที่ยวต่างชาติ 450 บาท เตรียมเปิดรับฟังความคิดเห็นทั่วประเทศ ก่อนเสนอ ครม.

The Bangkok InsightWANPEN PUTTANONT

CANADA

Regulating short-term rentals delivers real housing affordability gains according to McGill University researchers who analyzed every Canadian urban region over six years. The study released August 12, 2026 focused on restrictions limiting when principal residences can operate as short-term rentals since these rules most directly target affordability.

Rents in 309 regulated neighborhoods came in $24 lower per month within a year and $55 lower in subsequent years with even neighboring municipalities without rules saw $40 monthly reductions. Researchers estimate total savings of $192.4 million per month for Canadian renters in 2023 and describe regulation as low-hanging fruit for managing housing costs.

CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND

Hosts across Christchurch face fresh compliance risk after a national ruling sided with the city council. New Zealand's Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment determined in August 2026 that advertising a Gloucester Street unit for nightly stays changed its legal use under the Building Act even though the property was consented as housing. With an estimated 4,300 Airbnb listings across the city, the precedent could trigger enforcement on a far wider scale.

The unit received its code compliance certificate in May 2025 as part of a multi-unit residential building. Its owners must now notify the council and secure written approval to continue hosting or return the property to residential use.

Ministry backs council decision to force owners to get Airbnb consent

Ministry backs council decision to force owners to get Airbnb consent

ACE TimesSusan Edmunds of RNZ

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