Research

PUBLICATIONS

Does hotel management matter to overcoming the COVID-19 crisis? The Spanish case (with David Martín-Barroso, Juan A Nunez-Serrano, Jaime Turrión and Francisco J. Velázquez). Tourism Management February, 2022. [Slides] [Poster] [Video] [Press coverage]

COVID-19, social distancing and guests' preferences: impact on peer-to-peer accommodation pricing (with Massimo Riccaboni, Armando Rungi, Francisco J. Velázquez). Current Issues in Tourism August, 2021, p. 1-7. [Slides] [Poster] [Video] 

WORK IN PROGRESS



 

This paper investigates the impact of the arrival of Airbnb on local consumption amenities in Madrid. We exploit the exogenous variation created by the timing and the unequal distribution of Airbnb listings across the urban geography to identify its effects on food and beverage establishments. Using an instrumental variable strategy, we find positive local effects on both the number of restaurants

and their employees: an increase in ten Airbnb rooms in a given census tract translates into almost one more restaurant, and the same increase in a given neighborhood generates eight new tourist-related employees. The results are robust to specification and sample composition. This paper contributes to the literature on the economic impacts of the platform economy on urban areas by providing evidence of market expansion externalities from short-term rentals.



This paper investigates the unequal effect of Airbnb on the spatial organisation of economic activity in Madrid, Spain. Using establishment-level data from Madrid City Council and consumer-facing information from this short-term rental company, we find that Airbnb contributes to shaping the urban space in line with tourists’ needs, ultimately displacing local businesses. These findings prove that short-term rentals do displace not only the local population but also resident-oriented businesses. Eventually, we show that our results are not driven by the method of measuring digital accommodation activity, other touristic actors, and confounders related to gentrification and the rise of online purchasing.



This paper investigates the regional economic disparities in the impact of the COVID-19 crisis in Spain. Using data from social security records and Google Trends, we develop a novel methodological approach to account for the different sources and channels through which the pandemic has affected employment dynamics, used as a proxy for economic activity. The main results show the important negative effect of restrictions and the relevant role of government actions to attenuate its geographically adverse economic effects. These findings highlight the need for coordination among different levels of administrations because COVID-19 spillovers exceed the administrative borders.



WORKING PAPERS

Political instability and Tourism. The case of Arab Spring (with David Martin-Barroso and Francisco J. Velazquez)

COVID-19 and Guests' Preferences in Short-Term Rentals: Evidence from Madrid (with Massimo Riccaboni, Armando Rungi, Francisco J. Velázquez)

CONFERENCES & SEMINARS

2023

2022

2021

2018-2016