The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday edition that last year, in anticipation of the World Cup, Airbnb launched a campaign to roll back and soften short-term rental regulations, using the hype around the tournament as a political moment to exploit. Guest columnist Thorben Wieditz writes that in Canada, the company released a commissioned Deloitte report forecasting that Vancouver would fall 70,000 nights short during a nine-day peak period of the event, which would leave thousands of fans in the lurch and the city missing out on tourist spending. However, demand for tourist accommodations in Vancouver and Toronto has fallen far short of predictions, and hotels in both cities remained less than 50 per cent full after seven match days. Both cities also track behind an ordinary June, with Vancouver hotel bookings down about 25 per cent and Toronto down 21 per cent. The short-term rental market hasn't fared much better. Toronto's demand for Airbnb-type accommodations ranks third-last among the 16 host cities in Canada, the United States and Mexico and barely surpasses last year's bookings. Researchers have found beyond doubt that when restrictions curb Airbnb activity, rents fall in the years that follow.