But as overall monthly overnight stays in Portugal reached an all time high in August, some Lisbon residents are becoming frustrated by the impact of ballooning tourism on local quality of life. Following protests in September about the city’s housing market, thousands of people living in the Portuguese capital have signed a petition demanding a clampdown on Lisbon vacation rentals. The group behind the petition, the Referendum Movement for Housing (MRH), is seeking to eradicate the almost 20,000 short term vacation rentals in Lisbon residential blocks, hoping to free up housing opportunities for locals. CNN Travel has reached out to Airbnb for comment about the Lisbon referendum petition. Changing the Lisbon tourist industryFreitas stresses a successful referendum wouldn’t eliminate Lisbon tourist lets altogether, but prevent them from “existing in houses registered for residential use.” Landlords would also be prohibited from establishing new vacation rentals in residential buildings in the future.

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Persons: Luisa Freitas, Jorge Castellanos, Freitas, “, ”, there’s, Airbnb, —, she’s Organizations: CNN, Housing, ”, CNN Travel, Getty, Barcelona, European Union, Lisbon Locations: Lisbon, Portugal, ” Lisbon, Augusta, Comercio, Baixa