My wife and I have been visiting Sedona, Arizona for over a decade now but the Sedona we’re seeing this year is a very different place from the city we last visited in 2020. Short-term rentals (Airbnb/VRBO) were approved by the Sedona city council in late 2016 but have really seemed to have exploded during the past two years.
As many of you know I’ve always been a fan of staying in Airbnbs but haven’t really considered the impact the business has on the locals. After being here for a while and talking with locals I’m experiencing some of the negatives firsthand.
This city has always been a tourist town but what we've seen this year is an entirely different level of tourist-induced mayhem. Gridlocked traffic from mid-morning to mid-afternoon, skyrocketing rents, grocery store shelves stripped bare by tourists, parking shortages, and real estate prices that have more than doubled since we were last here in 2020. The traffic effectively cuts the city in half making it nearly impossible to get from one side of town to the other during most of the daylight hours.
We spoke with one shop owner who said local service workers can no longer afford to live in town, they must live in cheaper neighboring cities where housing is more affordable and commute.
As much as I love how Airbnb makes me feel like a local when I’m traveling, I'm now left feeling very conflicted about using the platform. There has to be a happy medium, some kind of limits imposed on the number of short-term rentals there can be in a certain area.
I can’t even imagine how life-altering this is for people who live here full time. The neighboring towns are hard at work getting their open land designated as a wine growing region so the land is protected from corporations snapping it up to build new housing for short-term rentals. I hope the locals are successful or this beautiful place might be ruined for future generations.
Who knows, maybe all the chaos we experienced this week was partially due to the full moon?
Happy Birthdays Are In Order!
Despite the negatives we’ve made the most of our past few days. Our son flew in to celebrate his birthday with us. We took him and my sister-in-law Lilli out for a great birthday dinner at an excellent Mexican restaurant called Mole. If you’re ever in these parts I highly recommend it. Happy Birthday Martese!
We hiked one of our favorite trails in the Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park
Surrounded by the warm red rock and sapphire blue sky, there’s something both magical and mystical about this place.
Amstel took his first hike with us but our senior beagle is tiring out much faster than he did when we were here last. I keep having to remind myself that two years is a long time in dog years. Thankfully at thirteen he still loves hitting the trail, sniffing freely in the wilderness, and getting his paws stained by the red rock.
The flowering trees are nearly in full bloom here. It's a welcomed sight because we won't be seeing this back in Minnesota until around mid-May.
I hope you all enjoy what's left of the weekend. We said goodbye to Martese this morning as the shuttle picked him up to take him to the Phoenix airport. We have four weeks left in this beautiful place so I'll have many more adventures to share. Happy first day of Spring (for those of you in the Northern hemisphere)!
Be well,
-Eric
(Photos are original.)
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Oof, I've never considered that. In our area of upstate I haven't noticed an impact like that. We have the wine/Brew trails that have been growing our tourism extensively and the Airbnb's help with that, but so far in a positive way.
Aw, old timer dogs are the cutest. Our pitbull Lucy, sweetest pup ever, is 11 now and she's definitely starting to slow down. She's still an excellent traveler though.:)
I never really considered it much either until this trip. Sedona is probably the most extreme example of how bad it can actually go. I agree, senior dogs ARE the best. Amstel and I have our daily routine established here in Arizona now. I'm thankful for every day we have him. He was diagnosed with a heart murmur that progresses into CHF and the vet told us he would be gone by last November. I love the pitbull breed! We were actually considering adopting one at the same time we got Amstel.
It happens in small touristic towns in my country as well, especially in public/religious holiday during summers. Even foods in markets sold out before evenings. Sometimes there are also problems with other services.
Happy Birthday to your son and HIVE :)
It's really sad. The platform adds so much to the travel experience from a tourist perspective but there has to be some way to more effectively balance the impact on locals. Thank you @videoaddiction!
Happy birthday to your Son, sir. It's always nice to see your face and the happy family. Always looking great and sharp. I am happy to see Amstel yet again... 😍😍🤗
Thank you! Amstel is already a minor celebrity here in Sedona. Lol.
Hahahaha as should. I would need a photo with Amstel as autograph before going viral 😍😍. I hope your weekend is going great, sir?
Really like your photography specially the flowering tree looking beautiful.
Thanks!
We have stayed in many Airbnbs around the world and loved each experience very much. I understand that perspective very well.
Recently we have been asked to leave our perfect studio apartment in the center of Montreal, directly across the street from work. There are new owners who will turn the building into Airbnbs. The good thing is that we will be well compensated. The bad thing is that this was the deal of the century. Every other apartment in the area is more expensive or not nice. There are better deals outside of the city center which means commuting by train and bus to work. I feel conflicted about the Airbnb business as someone who is always looking forward to their next experience in one.
It looks beautiful time in Arizona. All the best to you.
Same here, Carol! I would say our experience has been 90% good with Airbnb. We've had once shady experience in Montreal with a host doing a "bait and switch" on us. I'm so sorry to hear that you lost your apartment. That's really tough to pick up and move your entire household, especially since it was such a prime location. I had looked into buying some property there in Montreal a few years ago. It was a rather complicated process since we aren't Canadian citizens. I'm sure the prices have risen astronomically since then. I'm feeling very conflicted about Airbnb now as well. Thank you! We plan on enjoying every last minute of our time left here. I'll be in Montreal in early September this year. We found an apartment close to the Notre Dame Basilica.
Wow you will be in a great area by the Basilica. Enjoy! 😊
The whole traffic and hike seems like lagos in Nigeria.
It's so sad that the locals are made to suffer the hardship of an increment in prize of things.
Happy birthday to your son. I wish him long life and prosperity.
Your dog is old.. 13 years might have been the oldest I have heard.
I hope he still lives long enough for you all and I must say the dog is cute.
Thank you @bhoa! I'm sure much of the world is experiencing the same thing right now, especially with supply chain disruptions. Amstel is a survivor, that's for sure. He has a heart condition and has already survived a year longer than his vet advised us he would. We look at every single day as a bonus day with him from this point forward. I wish you a great week!
Happy Birthday to Martese, hopefully you had fun time with him.
It's always good to stay together even for few minutes. I love family gathering.
And those are some cool pictures.
Thank you for sharing with us.
Thank you very much!
Looks like this is happening everywhere in the world. No wonder that more and more people choose to live in an SUV or in a van.
Probably the problem is the fact that there are people, who are willing to pay these high rent prices. If they would simply say no to that, then the house owners would have to reduce their prices.
By the way, thank you so much for the support. I am very grateful and very happy. Everything helps. Hopefully I will find a good solution before the next winter. Maybe really an SUV.
We will see. I will keep posting regular updates about my situation.
Have a nice day and have a nice weekend.
All the best. Greetings and much love from Hungary.
Absolutely, cost of living is skyrocketing everywhere. The real estate bubble is primed to burst again soon. This kind of price growth just isn't sustainable. You are very welcome for the support. I wish you lots of luck in your plans and look forward to updates! Take care my friend.
Look how lovely Amstel looks in those pictures, hahaha. Happy birthday to your son, I can imagine having to eat out in a nice Mexican restaurant and having a nice family time. I can't still believe that Amstel is 13, I know there are lots of things that he might not be able to do, but it's never a dull moment with Amstel. It's been a really long time. How have you been?
He's loving life out here. It's so much warmer here than back home. Thanks for the happy birthday wishes! We had a nice time with Martese. I'm well, in a bit of a creative slump right now but I feel the fog lifting. How have you been?
I basically feel that you'll eventually come good, everyone gets in this kind of situation and it can be very frustrating and even annoying. Hopefully you get out of it.
I've been good, just trying to handle so many life projects at the same time and it's been overwhelming as well. I'm glad you and the family is doing really good. How's the COVID situation over there?
I think so too. I feel the creativity coming back in waves now. Glad to hear all is well on your end. Covid is still around here but it's almost as though 90% of the population has just "moved on" and don't care that much about wearing a mask or anything. Our infection and hospitalization rates are all downtrending too so hopefully we've seen the worst of it. How is it where you are?
I used to frequent Sedona in 1999/2000. One of the most stunning places in the US. On March 16, 2020 we were scheduled make our first trip back in 20 years. Covid ended that vacation, but I have been toying with going this autumn or next spring. It is too bad the town is changing. Suppose it is the case with everywhere though. 🙂
I visited here for the first time in 2009 and almost every two years after. It seems like tourism has stayed stable for the most part until this visit. It's like the perfect storm right now though I suppose...more domestic travel after the pandemic, peak season, supply chain disruptions, etc., etc. Next year we'll probably plan our trip a little earlier (early Jan) just to miss most of the peak tourist season (March-April). It's still beautiful here and well worth visiting. It just takes more planning while you're here.
I fully understand your mixed feelings with airbnb's! We are seeing more and more of them here as well which puts the registered bnb's at a disadvantage; many of their rates are ridiculously low as they don't have to pay fees like hefty monthly insurance premiums which is a requirement to be registered as a legal bnb.
But how bad that this is having a negative effect on the locals!
But...glad you had a good birthday celebration, enjoy the rest of your trip 🤗
Thank you Lizelle! We absolutely love staying in them. It's so complicated because the platform is funneling tons of revenue to local government but it's the average local that feels the brunt of it. I hope you and your hubby are well!
Hubby is feeling the side-effects of a procedure he had done, but we hope that it doesn't last too long.
Enjoy the rest of your trip!
I wish him a speedy recovery! Thank you Lizelle!
I stayed in an AirBNB there a bit ago, and would again. Traffic got heavy at times though not all times. I noticed one grocery store had a much better selection of stuff than another. It definitely seemed like there was a rowdy tourist element to the place, not sure how new that is. That said, I'd be one of the people renting a 4x4 next time. I really wanted to keep going down a road that turned into a trail there but I was in a minivan.
But overtourism can definitely mess a place up if the swarm of people is too big. When reasonable rental costs are far eclipsed by what weekly renters are willing to pay it will destabilize everything and eventually turn a place like that into a total slave to tourism.
It's really the way to go here, that's why it's so popular I bet. We've stayed in hotels in years' past, it's a totally different experience (and not in a good way). The 4x4's would be fun. We've seen tons of them around town. My wife took her Jeep up Schnelby Hill once but I wouldn't try it in anything other than a 4WD/AWD.
You're totally right. The local government gets addicted to the increased revenue from the Airbnbs but the locals are the ones feeling the squeeze.
Hope you're well. It seems like the weather is finally getting better back home, hope you're enjoying the warmer temps!
13 years is a long time for a dog. My beagle mix just turned 5 and she spends many hours of the day just sleeping.
We've kept him in really good shape. He walks around 3-5 miles every day. What's your dog's name?
Her name is Bella. She has a brother now, that is driving her crazy, a Miniature Schnauzer mix. She got used as an only child :))
Lol, hopefully she adjusts to her new "brother" soon! It can sometimes take a while. It's good to have more than one so they keep one another company.
That looks like a really beautiful place! That is too bad about the rentals causing such chaos. You would think that the city council would be able to put something in place to limit that. I know they do in other places. It might be a situations where they saw the tourist dollar signs and didn't realize how bad it would be. The city probably isn't complaining though if the tax base went up that much. More money in their pockets.
It's amazing here @bozz. I could get so used to waking up to these views every day.
I can imagine the local government is loving the windfall of revenue being generated by these Airbnbs, so much so that they probably overlook the inconveniences to the locals. The small business owners love the tourist revenue as well. I noticed a candidate running for city council here is promising to fight to strike a better balance for locals. The wheels of government move so slowly but hopefully the quality of life improves soon for the locals and a better balance can be struck.
It's always about balance isn't it? I am glad that you are having a great time. My wife and I get a chance to do some travel here in a bit, so I am looking forward to that. It will be short, but well worth it.
Yes, Sir, it always comes down to balance. I'm glad you two have a chance to get away. I hope you enjoy it!
So many things changed in the last 2 years, it is almost like watching another type of world unfolding in front of your eyes.
That is so true. It seems like a completely different world post-Covid.
People change all the time, now it is like a fast forward button has been super implemented
Happy birthday to your son!! Awe! I love the picture with your Beagle!! I left mine in Argentina and I miss her a lot!
Your pictures are very beautiful and you had a great time with beloved people, that's something extremely valuable! I'm glad for you.
Have a great day my friend!
Thank you @belug!
It’s happening in so many places around the world. Even along the coast I am living in.
The locals can’t afford the rent and house prices anymore.
Sad how it changed in the last years…
I'm sorry to hear that. It's happened here very quickly!
Thank you kindly 😊
Looks like it is all around us at the moment everywhere. We will figure it out eventually…
Hi Eric, thanks for the very interesting article that you shared. I really enjoyed it. Coupled with beautiful photos that make your writing so real and make me feel like I was there. Happy birthday to your son.
Indeed a place or city changes rapidly following the times. I hope that in a few years you will still be able to visit this city again.
Amstel is really cute. But it seems he is not too strong to be invited to walk far. Have a nice day, Eric..
You're welcome Eliana! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I hope you're having a good week in your part of the world.
Whatever the case, it's best to enjoy life and don't get frustrated over things you can't control. Now the whole world is in chaos, and health and family come first. Get the best out of your holiday.
So true!
Very true! There is so much to enjoy in this beautiful place.
Hello dear friend @ericvancewalton good evening
What a pity that this is happening in such a beautiful place, as you say, it gets complicated when wanting to tour the city.
I can imagine the joy of being able to celebrate his birthday with your son
This is a problem that began to be seen here in Argentina as well; Buenos Aires, which is the center of the country, suffers from this same problem, a vehicular chaos caused by the same reasons that you name; The tourist has to choose to use the subways that are faster, and it is not convenient.
I take this opportunity to wish you a happy start to the week and a happy hive anniversary dear friend
Thank you my friend! We were very grateful that he was able to join us for a weekend down here. It sounds like Airbnb is having this impact all over the world. I hope you have a wonderful week!
@tipu curate
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