France's second most visited city, with its stunning old town, beaches and shimmering coastline, has just revealed bold new measures to slash the number of Airbnb-type rentals by half. The move could be bad news for hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers hoping to book a stay in Nice. On Tuesday, the city announced a series of measures it plans on taking in order to combat the proliferation of Airbnb and short term rentals.

The local mayor, Christian Estrosi, announced that he wanted to halve the number of Airbnb properties in Nice from 6% to 3% of the city's property stock, France Bleu reported. Mr Estrosi said during the press conference on Tuesday: "I will not allow the people of Nice to be prevented from living in Nice! The neighbourhoods of Les Musiciens, Vieux-Nice, or the Promenade des Anglais will not be handed over to investors alone."

Using new powers granted by the “Le Meur” law passed in late 2024, the city said it plans to implement a series of strict regulations by autumn 2025.

According to Nice Matin, the first step of the process will take place in the middle of May, when a proposal will be presented to the municipal council to lower the annual rental limit for primary residences to be rented out from 120 to 90 days.

Then a stricter regulatory framework, developed jointly by the city with the metropolitan authority, is expected to be finalised and come into effect by autumn 2025.

In an effort to protect housing access for local residents, the city aims to reduce the number of rental authorisations by 50% in the most popular neighbourhoods.

These neighbourhoods include the city centre and the old town as well as the Riquier quarter, close to the port and the famous Promenade des Anglais.

According to the mayor, 70% of housing in Nice's most popular areas is now owned by investors, contributing to a 7% drop in local population.

Located on the beautiful French Riviera, Nice is the second most visited city in the entire country after Paris, with over five million visitors each year, according to the city council. 

2024 was also a record year for Nice Airport which welcomed a staggering 14.7 million passengers.