Researchers at the University of Montana have released a study that says a booming short-term rental market could have a significant impact on the state’s economy and affordable housing, if left unchecked.
The face of Montana’s tourism industry has already changed a lot in the last five years, says Jeremy Sage, the interim director of the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana.
Short-term rentals like you’d find on apps like AirBnB or VRBO have grown in popularity. According to the study, the number of nights booked in these rentals in 2020 was 33 times the amount in 2015.