Platform for the systematic registration of accommodation establishments rented out for tourist purposes

As of 1 February 2022, the new procedure for tourist accommodation rented out on online platforms (Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, e-domizil, etc.) and offline platforms (brochures, etc.) has come into force. The new bill is a key element in guaranteeing the quality, competitiveness and security of the tourism and hotel sector as a whole. 

Context

In recent years, our canton has also seen a sharp rise in the number of beds rented out for tourist purposes (rooms, flats and private houses), which now account for almost a quarter of the tourist offer. 

The introduction of the new law allows for the precise mapping of tourist accommodation in Ticino, without changing the current system for collecting tourist taxes.

This is an important step, reflecting the evolution of the accommodation sector, which allows equal treatment with the hotel sector and creates new synergies and opportunities.

Ticino is the first Swiss canton to include the request for an identification number in the procedure, a practice that has already been successfully introduced in other European and international cities.

Procedure

The identification number will be issued immediately after the registration process has been completed.

Information collected through the electronic form will then be forwarded both to the relevant regional tourist organisation and to the municipality where the accommodation is located. The municipality will have six months to validate the issuance of the identification number, verifying that the accommodation in question complies with current building regulations and legal provisions in order to confirm the suitability of the facilities. 

Important: during the period between submission of the form and approval by the municipality, the accommodation in question can continue to be rented out for tourist use by entering the identification number received at the end of the registration process on the various platforms.

This is the procedure to be followed:

Notifying the police about guests

Accommodation providers, regardless of whether or not they are subject to the Law on Hotels and Restaurants (LEAR), will have to report all overnight stays in their facilities using the new Online Notifications portal within 24 hours of the guests’ arrival. A comprehensive guide on how to use the portal is available at this link.

Tourist tax

The tourist tax is intended exclusively for financing tourism infrastructures, assistance, information and entertainment. All persons staying overnight in a municipality that is not their place of residence pursuant to the Swiss Civil Code, as guests in hotels, guesthouses, youth hostels, restaurants with accommodation, campsites, collective accommodation, huts, flats and holiday homes, camper vans and other similar establishments or vehicles, are required to pay tourist tax. Accommodation providers and owners of rented flats and holiday homes are responsible for collecting and remitting the tourist tax to the RTOs (regional tourist organisations).