Spain: Barcelona, a popular vacation spot in Spain, has declared that it will prohibit tourists from renting apartments starting in 2028. This is a somewhat bold step meant to control skyrocketing housing costs and improve living conditions for locals.
The left-leaning mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, declared on Friday that the 10,101 units that are currently permitted for short-term rentals would no longer have their licenses valid by November 2028.
Some locals were unable to purchase an apartment due to the surge in short-term rentals in Barcelona, Spain’s most popular tourist destination, as prices for apartments increased by 68 percent over the previous ten years and the cost of purchasing a home by 38 percent, according to Collboni. He continued by saying that inequality was now a function of housing access, especially for young people.
While national governments love the economic benefits of tourism—Spain is among the world’s top three most visited countries—gentrification and owners’ preference for profitable vacation rentals are becoming more and more of a heated topic throughout Europe as local residents are priced out in some areas.
In the last ten years, local governments in Berlin, Lisbon, and the Canary Islands in Spain have declared bans on short-term rentals.
Isabel Rodriguez, Spain’s socialist minister of housing, declared that she agreed with Barcelona’s choice.
The hotel association of Barcelona chose not to react on the declaration made on Friday. The city has not permitted the construction of any new vacation rentals in recent years. Since 2016, the local government has mandated the closure of 9,700 unlawful tourist apartments; of those, around 3,500 have been reclaimed and will serve as the principal residence for locals, according to the statement.
POPULAR | WHO reports global overuse of antibiotics during COVID-19
