Baguio plans registration of short-term rentals to curb scams

BAGUIO CITY — The city government here plans to require all short-term rental accommodations to register before they can be listed on official tourism platforms, a move aimed at protecting tourists from fraudulent schemes.

The “no registration, no listing” measure prohibits the advertisement or booking of short-term rental units without a valid city-issued registration number.

All listings must clearly display the registration number, which serves as proof of compliance with local requirements and ensures transparency for both platforms and consumers.

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“The measure establishes a centralized Short-Term Rental registry which will serve as the official database of all compliant rental units and the basis for issuing unique registration numbers,” Councilor Yuri Weygan said Friday.

The registry will be accessible through the city’s VISITA (Visitors Information and Travel Assistant) website, a tourism information platform managed by the City Tourism Office.

The VISITA platform was launched during the pandemic as a visitor registration system. It later expanded to provide tourism-related services, including assistance for visitors looking for legitimate accommodations in Baguio.

The measure will also require digital platforms and intermediaries operating in the city to verify registration numbers before allowing accommodations to be listed.

Platforms must display the registration numbers in advertisements, remove unregistered listings upon notice from the city government and prevent violators from posting new listings.

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The initiative was prompted by reports of accommodation scams victimizing tourists, who paid for rentals that either do not exist or did not match the descriptions provided online.

“This is a welcome development because while scammers are not from Baguio, they use the popularity of the city as a tourist destination to scam vulnerable people who desire to find a good place to stay and relax while vacationing in the city,” City Tourism Officer Aloysius Mapalo said in an earlier interview. /apl