The mayor of Barcelona has declared his administration will issue no more licences for short term rental properties in the city, effectively restricting the opportunity for local properties to be rented on platforms such as Airbnb.
The move comes as those living in Barcelona have become more aware of the negative impacts of tourism on their city. For residents, problems include the availability of reasonably priced housing in the city centre, as well as pressure on public transport and other infrastructure, due to the influx of visitors. The issue has become a hot topic in 2024, with anti-tourist protests in Barcelona, and in other tourist hotspots in Spain including the Balearic and Canary islands.
Protecting residents
Previously, the city’s authorities put in place a restriction on the construction of new hotels, which can now only replace an existing property. “We want to guarantee the right to live in Barcelona and deal effectively with the housing crisis we have been suffering for years,” said mayor Jaume Collboni. “For this reason, from the town hall, we act.” The city saw close to 12 million visitors in 2023, and seasonal rentals are reckoned to take up around 30% of the city’s rental stock.
Existing licences, covering just over 10,000 homes, will remain in place but will not be renewed on expiry, effectively meaning that by November 2028 there will be no properties approved for short term rent. The hope is that properties will instead return to the long term rental market, where residents have seen rents rise 68% in the last decade.
The city has already implemented tight restrictions on new hotel development, with the result that there are few new hotel projects under construction or in planning. Among the few that are progressing is investor ActivumSG’s 490 room hotel on the seafront, which will open under Ennismore’s SLS lifestyle brand. And in the city’s El Born quarter, Miiro hotels is planning to launch its 92 room Borneta hotel in summer 2024. Also close to completion is a new hotel for Marriott’s playful brand, Moxy.
In 2025, H-Hotels will open its 336 room H2 Hotel, while budget operator easyHotel will open its second property in the city, the 75 room easyHotel Meridiana. And looking further ahead, hybrid hotel operator Meininger now expects its Barcelona property to launch in 2027. The 163 room property will be created by converting a former industrial property.
Tourism pressures felt elsewhere
Barcelona is not the only destination where pressures from tourism are being felt – and actions are being taken. In Amsterdam, authorities have proposed an annual limit on overnight stays, and are restricting the berthing of large cruise liners. And in Iceland, authorities are incentivising airlines to consider routes to airports away from the capital, Reykjavik, in a bid to spread the tourism load more evenly around the country.
