In Spanish cities suffering from overtourism, rules are gradually being introduced to help regulate numbers, including limits on the number of tourist rentals.
Despite this, Spanish government statistics show that the number of tourist apartments increased by nine per cent last year and there are now more than 340,000 registered. This means that in some cities there is one tourist rental for every 1.5 square kilometres and for every 139 local people.
But the tourist crowds are only part of the problem. The other side is Spain’s serious housing crisis, which means fewer and fewer people can afford rising rents and housing prices. Many young people in particular are unable to access accommodation and are forced to live at home until they are in their 30s.
Its spread Airbnb style apartments contributes to this by increasing market prices and reducing the likelihood of locals finding property.
Just a few weeks ago, Barcelona announced its most drastic step yet – the intention to eliminate all tourist rentals by 2028. This was met with mixed reactions from both local Catalans and the city’s large foreign-born population, which now stands at 25 percent.
Locals welcome Spain’s crackdown on holiday rentals
“In short, it’s positive news for the locals,” says local resident Mika Casalis. “Every summer, the rent goes through the roof.”
Amanda Ditzler, who lives in a building with 15 Airbnbs, agreed. “I didn’t feel safe,” she said. “The building was packed on the weekends, and there were a lot of tourists They used the premises as a hotel, made a mess, played loud music, etc.
“I think people should be able to use their property however they want, but if you consider your residence a commercial business, I think you have to have different rules and work hard to respect other people’s lives. Most people Barcelona “I won’t miss the tourist rentals.”
But foreign residents Brian Lund Larsen and Alex Nowakowski are not convinced that removing them will really solve the housing problem.
“I’m not sure this will do much good rental prices“But I don’t really care,” Brian says. “I don’t want to wake up in the middle of the night to a drunk tourist party or find them half-naked and passed out on the stairs in the morning.”
“Taking out thousands of legitimate Airbnbs in a city of 1.6 million people is not going to solve the problem,” Alex says. “In fact, it’s going to inflame the black market that already exists. rentals“I think the focus needs to be on building more housing.”
Where else in Spain are there restrictions on tourist apartments?
But Barcelona is just one of the cities on the long list of Spain’s tourist attractions. stop against tourist rentals.
in April Madrid – A city with more than 14,000 tourist apartments, Barcelona – The City Council announced that the issuance of new tourism licenses will be temporarily suspended.
In May, Valencia City Hall also said it would suspend issuing new licences for at least a year, with the potential for a further year. More recently, Valencian police have been cracking down on illegal tourist flats and increasing fines for violations.
Capital of Andalusia Seville Last month it was also decided that licences for tourist rentals in the main neighbourhoods of the historic centre would not be renewed.
Malagawhich has the third largest number of tourist apartments in Spain despite being the sixth largest by population, has also introduced restrictions. It no longer allows new tourist apartments to operate unless they have their own separate entrance. Since most are located in apartment buildings, fewer people are able to apply for a licence.
“There is a housing crisis that cannot be ignored,” says Hanni Martini, a food expert living in Malaga. “I don’t know what the answer is, but it’s certainly not to make tourists feel unwelcome. Malaga “It is – like many provinces in Spain – heavily dependent on tourism. It is our biggest industry.”
“I live in the historic centre and it still feels like a ‘neighbourhood’ full of locals. tourist rentals It is in our building but we haven’t had any problems so far.
“I think we should try to support more sustainable tourism when we travel, for example hotels“By shopping at small, independent stores and eating at local businesses.”
Most tourist rentals are owned by large companies
Some people argue that the removal of tourist apartments means that local people will no longer have the chance to monetise their properties and generate their own income to benefit from tourism, but the reality is that most properties are owned by large businesses, not individuals.
According to the Barcelona City Council, for example, only 34.8 percent of tourism license holders have just one apartment, the rest have five or more apartments.
Overall, it seems that local people are of the opinion that these measures, while not enough to solve all the problems, are at least a step in the right direction.