Airbnb has a place in Ireland, but the housing crisis means more regulation are necessary.

That's according to Tánaiste Simon Harris, who wants to see legislation brought forward in the coming weeks, with strict limits on the length of time a property can be sublet.

Karl Deeter from Irish Mortgage Brokers thinks it's the wrong approach.

"It's very concerning that at a time when we saw a massive fall off in our tourism numbers, that we want to do more to restrict the choice and availability of accommodation to people who will be coming here for holidays," he said.

"I think it's a terrible choice and people should be allowed to do what they want with their own property."

New figures released by the CSO show the number of tourists visiting Ireland plunged by 30% last month compared with the same month last year.

Main image: A man looks at his iPhone which displays the Airbnb logo (Editorial use only).