Spain clamps on Airbnb while the recoil of tourism returns before the summer

The Spanish government has called for the removal of the offers of nearly 66,000 properties on the Airbnb rent platform on the basis of the fact that they violate the regulations for tourist accommodation.

The Klemdown comes as protests against over-tourism for the summer season. Demonstrations in the Canary Islands attracted thousands of people on Sunday.

The Minister of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and the 2030 Agenda, Pablo Bustinduy, said that the rental properties in question “had violated different standards with regard to housing for tourist use”.

The announcement followed on a Madrid court that ruled that Airbnb must immediately withdraw from the market 5,800 of the property cited by the Ministry.

The characteristics are in six regions: Madrid, Andalusia, Catalonia, Valencia, the Basque Country and the Balearic Islands.

The Ministry of Bustinduy is now awaiting further judicial judgments about the other 60,000 property, the entries consider illegal.

According to the ministry, the properties that it has identified, did not provide a license number, provided an incorrect number or not indicated the legal status of the owner to show whether they rent them on a professional basis or as a private person.

He described the court’s decision as “a clear victory for those fighting to protect the right to accommodation”.

Bustinduy added that “it can be possible to ensure that no economic interest has priority over housing and that no company, no matter how large or powerful, is above the law”.

Housing has emerged in recent months the greatest care of Spaniards because of the lease report, in particular in larger cities and cities.

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The costs of an average rent have doubled over the past decade, while the salaries have not kept up.

Tourist apartments have been identified by many as an important cause of the problem, in which the locals are robbed of accommodation.

Spain is the world’s second most popular tourist destination after France, with 94 million foreign visitors in 2024, an increase of 13% compared to the previous year.

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said earlier this year: “There are too many Airbnbs and not enough houses,” and he promised to prevent the “uncontrolled” expansion of the use of property property.

Some local authorities have also started to take action against Airbnb.

The Town Hall of Barcelona has said that it will eliminate its 10,000 tourist apartments in the short term By the end of 2028.

Others have followed a different approach. In recent months, Airbnb has reached agreements with local authorities in the Canary Islands, Ibiza and Murcia aimed at ensuring property owners for tourist rental rules.

Airbnb responded to the court’s decision and the announcement of Bustinduy by stating that it would appeal against decisions related to this case and that there was no evidence of the violation of rules by hosts.

It also mentioned a statement from 2022 by the Spanish Supreme Court that established that the responsibility for mentioning information was with the host of each real estate, not the company that was a “neutral intermediary” and not a property provider.

The company also made a broader point about the Spanish housing problem.

“The cause of the affordable home crisis in Spain is a lack of offer to meet demand,” said a spokesperson. “Governments all over the world see that regulating Airbnb does not enlighten concern about housing or returns houses to the market – it only damages local families who rely on hosting to pay their houses and rising costs.”

Last summer, Spain saw a wave of protests against overtourism in many popular destinations, with the impact on housing the biggest complaint.

With the number of foreign visitors to Spain that quickly approaches 100 million a year, the unrest is expected to continue this summer.

On Sunday, a few thousand people took to the streets over the Canary Islands under the slogan “Canaries have a limit”.

In Mallorca, a group called Less tourism, more life (Less tourism, more life) Prepares for similar actions, planned for 15 June with a protest planned.