More and more Spaniards have had enough of mass tourism. The steadily increasing number of visitors is blamed, among other things, for the housing shortage. Barcelona is now announcing drastic measures.
In the fight against the housing shortage, Barcelona wants to abolish the rental of holiday apartments by the end of 2028. All apartments that are currently legally rented to tourists for a short-term stay would then be able to be used by residents of the metropolis in northeastern Spain, Mayor Jaume Collboni told journalists.
“From 2029, the city of Barcelona will no longer have holiday homes as we know them today. And that will allow us to bring 10,000 properties to the rental or sales market,” he said. That will be equivalent to “building 10,000 homes,” he stressed.
The mayor pointed out that rental prices in the Catalan capital have risen by almost 70 percent and purchase prices by around 40 percent in the last ten years. The city administration is therefore forced to take drastic measures by decree to guarantee access to affordable housing. The existing licenses will not be renewed after they expire.
“We cannot allow the majority of young people who want to leave their parents’ home to be forced to leave Barcelona,” said the socialist politician. This measure will not end the housing shortage overnight. “These problems take time. But with this measure we are marking a turning point.”
Discontent with mass tourism is growing rapidly in Spain. There have recently been major protests in tourist hotspots such as Barcelona, Mallorca and the Canary Islands. There, the increasing number of visitors is being blamed in particular for the lack of affordable housing, but also for environmental destruction, traffic jams, overcrowding, price increases and water shortages, as well as for the overloading of the health sector and waste disposal.
Source: Stern
