Barcelona says “goodbye” to seasonal rentals: the end of mass tourism?

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Fed up with mass tourism?

One might believe that this decision is motivated by the need to fight against the mass tourism that the city has suffered for years. But things are more complex than that. “We need the housing supply to increase. Catalans should not be forced to leave the city. Housing prices must stop increasing.”this is how Jaume Collboni justifies his choice to put an end to seasonal rentals in Barcelona.

In this city of 1.65 million inhabitants which receives 12 million visitors per year, it is a question of responding to the housing crisis and the soaring rents (more than 70% increase in the last ten years) while the owners preferred to turn to tourist rentals, such as Airbnb or Booking, which are much more profitable.

This drastic measure taken by the mayor should allow 10,000 homes to return to the ordinary rental stock, according to Les Echos. “Tourism is a fundamental part of the city’s activity and we need to count on it, but we want to manage it differently, to prevent it from influencing everything., declares in this sense the municipal councilor for urban planning, Laia Bonet. “It should not be tourism that determines the possibilities of living or not in Barcelona. On the contrary, the model of the tourist offer must depend on access to housing for residents. she adds.

In Barcelona, ​​reactions are divided. The hotel sector applauds the idea of ​​eradicating this offer perceived as increasingly aggressive unfair competition, but the association of owners of tourist accommodation who will lose their seasonal rental license denounces an unfair witch hunt. According to Les Echos, she is preparing to go to court.

Airbnb banned from European cities

In Europe, many cities are experiencing overtourism and are acting to restrict Airbnb. Barcelona is not the only city taking action against vacation rentals. The Italian city of Florence announced, for example, a ban on new Airbnb listings and other short-term vacation rentals in its historic city center.

Some cities are trying everything possible to avoid overtourism, going so far as to eliminate bus lines on Google Maps

HAS Amsterdam, hosts can only rent their properties for a maximum of 30 nights per year. While London requires Airbnb hosts to only rent out their property for 90 nights or fewer per year. THE Portugal has been drastic in regulation, ceasing to issue new licenses for Airbnb and other similar vacation rentals

HAS Munich, short-term rentals of entire homes are limited to eight weeks per year. All these cities have one thing in common: overtourism which is harmful to their city. They take drastic measures, but necessary for their longevity.