Recently, the city government of Barcelona, Spain's top resort destination, said that they will ban the service of renting apartments to tourists by 2028.
It is a surprisingly drastic move as local officials seek to curb soaring housing costs and make the city more livable. Mayor Jaume Collboni said that by November 2028, Barcelona will revoke the licenses of 10,101 apartments currently approved for short-term rentals.
Panoramic view of Barcelona city is becoming overloaded with apartments, hotels, motels
Under the new regulations, licenses for short-term rentals of tourist apartments will expire in 2028 and will not be renewed. About 10,000 apartments currently used for short-term rentals will be converted into housing for local residents. The city government will impose fines on landlords who violate the new regulations.
Possessing many beautiful landscapes, this city is so crowded with tourists that it is overloaded.
The boom in short-term rentals in Barcelona has left some residents unable to afford an apartment after rents rose 68% in the past 10 years and home prices rose 38%. As a result, housing access has become a source of inequality, especially for young people.
National governments enjoy the economic benefits of tourism (Spain is among the world's three most visited countries), but with locals paying the price in some places, urbanisation and owners' preference for lucrative tourist rentals is increasingly a hot topic across Europe.
Spain is among the top 3 most visited countries in the world - but urbanisation and owners' preference for lucrative tourist rentals is increasingly a hot topic across Europe.
Several local governments have announced restrictions on short-term rentals to tourists in places like Spain's Canary Islands, Lisbon, Portugal and Berlin, Germany, over the past decade.
