Lucerne is one of the top travel destinations in Switzerland. The Airbnb restrictions are not aimed at restricting tourism according to campaigners.
Keystone
Lucerne has become the latest Swiss city to limit short-term rentals, including Airbnb, to a maximum of 90 days a year.
Just over 64% of voters on Sunday approved a legal amendment put forward by the left-wing Social Democratic Party, according to official resultsExternal link.
The proposal aims to cap large-scale temporary rentals by commercial providers and make more living space available for local residents without hampering tourism, according to the campaigners.
The left-wing initiative amounts to a de facto ban for Airbnb, according to observers, as short-term rentals are only profitable for property owners after 90 days.
A watered-down counter-proposal by the local government failed to win a majority on Sunday.
Model Geneva
Restrictions on short-term subletting of accommodation have also been introduced in two regions in western Switzerland, notably Geneva over the past five years.
At a local level, the city of Bern also tightened legal conditions for short-term rentals by restricting the number of Airbnbs in one building in the historical old town.
Short-term rentals are subject to a tourism tax in several cantons, including Geneva, Zurich and Basel.
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