‘Most people in Barcelona won’t miss tourist rentals’: Why locals support Airbnb crackdown

In Spanish cities suffering from overtourism, rules have slowly been introduced to help regulate numbers, including limits on the number of tourist rentals.

 Despite this, statistics from the Spanish government show that the number of tourist apartments has increased by nine per cent in the last year, with more than 340,000 now registered. This means in some cities there is one tourist rental for every 1.5 square kilometre and for every 139 locals.

But tourist overcrowding is just part of the issue. The other side is Spain’s severe housing crisis, which means fewer and fewer people can afford increasing rents and purchase prices. Many young people in particular can’t get access to accommodation and are forced to live at home well into their 30s. 

The proliferation of Airbnb-style apartments is contributing to this by driving up market prices, as well as reducing the availability of properties for locals. 

Just a couple of weeks ago, Barcelona announced the most drastic step yet - the intention to eliminate all tourist rentals by 2028. This was met with a mixed response from both local Catalans and the city’s large foreign-born population, which has now reached 25 per cent.

“Long story short, it's positive news for locals,” says resident Mika Casalis. “Every summer the rent soars through the roof.”

Amanda Ditzler, who used to live in a building with 15 Airbnbs, agrees. “I felt unsafe,” she says. “On the weekends the building was overrun and many tourists treated the premises like a hotel, leaving messes, playing loud music, etc.  

“I think people should be able to use their property as they choose, but I also think that if you treat your residence as a commercial business you should have different rules and work hard to respect