More than 10,000 holiday apartments in the Spanish city of Barcelona will not be available to tourists within five years as part of a controversial move aimed at clamping down on soaring housing costs
Mayor Jaume Collboni has reportedly pledged to eliminate short-term tourist lets and make them available to locals instead.
Mr Collboni told a news conference that he does not plan to renew any of the 10,101 tourist licences granted to landlords when they expire in late 2028.
He said scrapping holiday apartments – which are typically advertised on platforms like Airbnb and Homeaway – would be “equivalent to building 10,000 new homes”.
“More supply of housing is needed, and the measures we’re presenting today are to provide more supply,” Mr Collboni added.
Barcelona has struggled with a limited supply of housing for years.
Rents have reportedly risen by 70% over the past decade, while new building has not kept up with the increased demand.
High rates of tourism, in addition to the city’s growing status as a tech hub attracting foreign workers, are said to be to blame.
In recent months, thousands of people have protested in parts of Spain, including the Canary Islands, against the effects of mass tourism, which they claim is damaging the environment and driving locals out.
But local politicians opposing the move have accused Mr Collboni of undermining property rights.
The Association of Tourist Apartments of Barcelona said the change would also lead to flats being illegally rented to tourists and claimed the policy was a “smokescreen” for the mayor’s failure on housing policy.
Images © Aleksandar Pasaric and Olena Goldman (Pexels)
