As much of Europe grapples to combat overtourism, another scenic Spanish holiday hotspot is cracking down on holiday homes.
Malaga has become the latest European area to ban short-term lets in areas saturated by tourism.
The city is one of Spain’s most popular summer destinations, receiving around 14 million visitors in 2023.
The popular holiday destination has taken the bold step of banning new short-term apartment rentals in 43 neighbourhoods deemed “tourist-saturated”.
In these areas, more than 8 percent of homes are let out on a short-term basis and are advertised on sites such as AirBnb.
A Malaga city hall statement said the aim was to encourage holiday flats to be set up in places with less pressure from tourism.
The council is hoping for a more balanced tourism distribution whilst encouraging visitors to experience more local culture and hidden gems instead of just the hotspots.
In Malaga, a further 32 neighbourhoods with “average” saturation of holiday lets will also face restrictions.
These include a requirement for flats to have separate entrances for tourists.
According to a study by local authorities, cited by the Telegraph, short-term lets account for 65 percent of all accommodation in Malaga.
This comes after the mayor of Barcelona vowed back in June to abolish short-term holiday lets in the Catalan capital.
Jaume Collboni announced that in November 2028 the city council would eliminate the 10,101 tourist flat licences that have been granted.
The short-term renting of apartments would “cease completely”, he said, adding that “those 10,000 apartments will be used by the city’s residents or will go on the market for rent or sale”.
“More supply of housing is needed and the measures we’re presenting are to provide more supply so that the working middle class does not have to leave the city because they can’t afford housing,” he added.
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