Seville, a favourite destination for Brit holidaymakers, has announced significant changes that could affect travel plans. The city council has decided to limit Airbnb-style rentals, meaning licences will be significantly curtailed. According to the new rule, tourist apartments in each of the city’s 108 neighbourhoods cannot exceed 10% of total homes. Areas already brimming with tourists, such as Triana and the historic centre, won’t be granted any more licences.
Despite opposition from the left-wing coalition, the measure was passed with support from right-wing party, Vox. The Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party argued for “tougher and more ambitious” rules, claiming that 23,000 more tourist accommodations could still be granted in non-saturated areas.
However, Urban Planning delegate, Juan de la Rosa, praised the measure as a “further step” towards making tourism more compatible with local life, recognising the industry’s substantial contribution to Seville’s economy, accounting for 25% of the city’s GDP. This move comes after Airbnb owners in Barcelona demanded €1 billion (£830m) in compensation following the city council’s decision to revoke licences for over 10,000 tourist apartments.
In June, the mayor of the Catalan capital announced tourist flats would be outlawed by November 2028 in an attempt to alleviate the city’s housing crisis, reports the Liverpool Echo. Rental prices have rocketed by a whopping 70 percent over the past decade, and Spaniards reckon holiday lets are to blame. The short-term rentals for tourists are accused of nicking homes needed by residents and pushing up the prices – leaving locals no choice but to leave their own turf.
According to reports by the Express, protesters against mass tourism claim these holiday homes are hogging the essential housing stock and causing price hikes that force residents out. But landlords are fighting back against the new laws, labelling them a hasty “populist” ploy that’ll nick their earnings without properly tackling the shortage of affordable homes.
It all kicked off in the Canary Islands on April 20 with massive protests as laid-back island life turned into street marches. Over the following months, places like Malaga, Barcelona, and Majorca also saw locals giving an earful about the negative vibes of tourism.
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