Airbnb Creates Arizona Political Organization While National Efforts Expand

Airbnb has created a tax-exempt political organization focused on Arizona, a state where government officials are rethinking their short-term rental laws, according to a new IRS document obtained by Skift.

The stated purpose of the “Airbnb Responsible Tourism Coalition” organization is to “support/oppose state and local candidates” in “AZ,” the IRS filing states.

The Airbnb Responsible Tourism Coalition’s registrant is Joel Aurora, an Airbnb lobbyist and partner at government relations firm Nielsen Merksamer Parrinello Gross & Leoni LLP.

It’s unclear what the status of the organization is and Aurora did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Airbnb declined to comment on the new entity or the company’s broader plans involving state- and local-level political advocacy.

What is known: Airbnb’s sizable political influence and government affairs operations continue to expand