Barcelona bans vacation apartments - How Spain is struggling with mass tourism
Barcelona, the Canary Islands, Mallorca - they all sound not only like wonderful travel destinations, but they indeed are. However, due to this, housing space for locals is often scarce. Cities and regional governments are forced to intervene and regulate the housing market. The increasingly common result: the ban on short-term housing rentals to make housing available to the local population. This leads to public discussions and controversies. Here's what's happening on the Spanish vacation rental market these days.
Whoever is lucky enough to own an apartment in the heart of Barcelona or on Gran Canaria has often been able to rent it out profitably to tourists instead of locals. This so-called short-term renting, however, leads over time to the fact that regular rent prices at these locations become increasingly drastic. Barcelona has therefore decided not to renew licenses for vacation rentals. By 2028, they want to return thousands of apartments to the Barcelona population.
In the Catalan metropolis, this is not a new topic: Since 2016, illegal renting to tourists in around 10,000 apartments has been suppressed, and around 3,500 apartments have been made available to the city's population again, as reported by "Tagesschau". With their new move, the city is taking a decisive step further, as they also want to ban legally rented vacation apartments from the city. Naturally, this creates opposition: The plan is currently at the Spanish Constitutional Court due to a complaint from the conservative party PP.
The Resistance Grows in the Canary Islands and Mallorca
The politics want to ensure that the population of the Canary Islands can afford the rents. There, a lively debate has been going on since the end of last year. No final law exists yet, but among the plans is a capping of a maximum of ten percent of a community's housing stock that can fall on tourism - as the Spanish Constitution also provides. Exceptions are planned only for the "green islands" La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro, where it should be 20 percent. According to the portal "Teneriffa News", it would take 18 years to establish this ratio on the Canaries, as the current quote is at 37 percent.
And on Mallorca, the favorite island of the Germans, many locals have grown tired of the never-ending mass tourism and the ever-rising living costs, which make it increasingly difficult for people to afford life on their home island. A bus driver in retirement spoke of living in a caravan or leaving the island in a report by ARD about the protests. Cases like this are no longer exceptions, while luxury and party tourists continue to put pressure on Mallorca in equal measure.
The criticism of the Mallorquins focuses mainly on rising housing and living costs, which make it increasingly difficult for people to afford life on their home island. In an ARD report on the protests, a retired bus driver spoke of having to live in a caravan or leave the island. Such cases are becoming increasingly common, while luxury and party tourists continue to put pressure on Mallorca in equal measure.
Much of what could change in the tourist centers of Spain in the coming years depends on the Spanish justice system in the coming weeks and months. For example, Barcelona's approach being declared constitutional could serve as a precedent for other cities and municipalities. For tourists and travelers, this likely means a decreasing availability of vacation rentals and more frequent accommodation in hotels - or entirely towards other destinations.
- Despite being popular travel destinations, Barcelona, the Canary Islands, and Mallorca face housing challenges due to mass tourism, leading cities to regulate short-term rentals.
- The Canary Islands are currently debating a maximum cap on tourism housing to help locals afford rising rents, with exceptions for "green islands."
- In Gran Canaria, owners have profited from short-term rentals to tourists, leading to high rental prices for locals, prompting Barcelona to ban vacation apartment rentals.
- Barcelona's plan to reclaim apartments for locals face opposition from the conservative party PP and is currently being reviewed by the Spanish Constitutional Court.
- On Mallorca, the high cost of living due to mass tourism has become a significant concern for locals, with some resorting to living in caravans or leaving the island entirely.
