In recent years, tourist activities have increasingly expanded into residential areas of major European cities. This phenomenon, initially discreet, quickly intensified with the rise of digital platforms specializing in short-term rentals. Housing, once seen as a stable and long-term asset, has become a temporary resource, strongly influenced by market forces, profitability, and optimization. As a result, many cities are witnessing concrete impacts on their residential balance: rising rents, a shrinking long-term rental market, transformation of the urban fabric, and a loss of social diversity. In Budapest, this trend has become particularly pronounced. As an attractive and touristic capital, the city now faces growing tension between its openness to international tourism and the fundamental needs of its permanent residents.

This trend, however, is not unique to Budapest. Other European capitals, such as Paris and Rome, are experiencing similar dynamics. Some have already implemented regulatory policies to preserve a balance between tourism development and urban livability. The current reconfiguration of city centers is changing how they are perceived: they are becoming commercial spaces designed for short stays, to the detriment of long-term residential use. In this shifting landscape, public policy plays a key role. Balancing economic attractiveness, tourism regulation, and the right to housing has become a major challenge for 21st-century cities.