The Blubber

Barcelona, a premier Spanish holiday spot, has announced it will prohibit apartment rentals to tourists by 2028, a surprising move aimed at curbing rising housing costs and making the city more livable for residents.

The city’s leftist mayor, Jaume Collboni, declared on Friday that by November 2028, Barcelona would revoke the licenses of the 10,101 apartments currently approved for short-term rentals.

“We are addressing what we believe is Barcelona’s biggest problem,” Collboni stated at a city government event. He added that “from 2029,” if there are no setbacks, “tourist flats as we know them today will vanish from Barcelona.”

The surge in short-term rentals in Barcelona, Spain’s most visited city by foreign tourists, has led to rent increases of 68% over the past decade, making it difficult for residents to afford apartments. The cost of buying a house has risen by 38% as well, Collboni noted. He emphasized that access to housing had become a key factor in inequality, particularly for young people.

While national governments appreciate the economic benefits of tourism – with Spain being one of the top-three most visited countries globally – the local impacts, including gentrification and owners preferring profitable tourist rentals, have become significant issues across Europe.

Local governments in places like Spain’s Canary Islands, Lisbon, and Berlin have imposed restrictions on short-term rentals in recent years.

Spain’s Socialist housing minister, Isabel Rodriguez, expressed support for Barcelona’s decision, stating, “It’s about making all the necessary efforts to guarantee access to affordable housing,” in a post on X.

Vacation rental platform Airbnb, which features many Barcelona listings, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Barcelona’s tourist apartments association Apartur criticized the decision, claiming it would increase poverty and unemployment and lead to a rise in illegal tourist apartments.

Hotels, however, stand to benefit from the move. The opening of new hotels in the city’s most popular areas was banned by a far-left party governing Barcelona from 2015 to 2023, but Collboni has suggested he might ease this restriction.

Barcelona’s hotel association did not comment on Friday’s announcement.

“Those 10,000 apartments will be used by the city’s residents or will be available for rent or sale,” Collboni said.

The local government stated it would continue its “strong” inspection regime to identify potential illegal tourist apartments once the ban takes effect.

No new tourist apartments have been permitted in the city in recent years. Since 2016, the local government has ordered the closure of 9,700 illegal tourist apartments and recovered close to 3,500 apartments to be used as primary housing for local residents.

Despite these efforts, the number of visitors to Barcelona – known for its belle époque architecture, museums, and beaches – continues to rise, especially after the lifting of COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Several local associations have called for a demonstration on July 6 with the slogan: “Enough! Let’s put a stop to tourism!”