Towards better inclusion of accommodation via online platforms in the national accounts

Accommodation in furnished tourist accommodation via online platforms requires the adjustment of numerous flows in national accounts. The stakes are not negligible, both in terms of GDP and GNI, with a potential issue at European level in the allocation of GNI resources. Highlighting the accounting circuit passing through platforms for furnished tourist accommodation, and more generally for the platform economy, is the result of an institutional (G20, etc.) and social demand for a better understanding of the digital economy. This will lead to the explicit inclusion of short-term accommodation via platforms in the future System of National Accounts SNA 2025 and its European adaptation to be implemented by 2029. The proposed alternative approach is consistent with the preparatory documents already available. An exploratory quantitative exercise of this alternative accounting scheme results in valuations that suggest a significantly stronger dynamic of production in the accommodation industry, a lower production in the housing branch, for a positive net impact on GDP. But the precise estimate of the flows to be corrected will require new data. Fortunately, the institutional and regulatory environment will improve the statistical sources.