Getty Images
Thousands of protesters are taking them to the streets of the Canary Islands to appeal for tourism
The Spanish government is asking the rental platform Airbnb to remove its list of nearly 66,000 properties on its rental platform, due to its violation of tourist accommodation regulations.
The Clamp Down comes when protests against overtourism begin ahead of the summer season. Sunday’s demonstration in the Canary Islands attracted thousands of people.
Minister of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Pablo Bastindo, agenda for 2030, said the rental property in question “violated various housing norms relating to tourist use.”
The announcement follows a Madrid court that Airbnb must immediately withdraw from the market of 4,984 property cited by the ministry.
The property is located in six regions: Madrid, Andalusia, Catalonia, Valencia, Basque Country and the Balearic Islands.
The Bustinduy ministry is currently awaiting further judicial rulings regarding the 60,000 or so other properties that the list appears to be illegal.
According to the ministry, the property it identified did not provide a license number, provide an incorrect number, or specify the owner’s legal status to indicate whether it is renting on an expert basis or as an individual.
He described the court’s decision as “a clear victory for those fighting to protect housing rights.”
Bustinduy added: “It is possible to ensure that economic interests do not take priority over housing and that there is no company even if it exceeds the law.”
Housing has emerged as the Spaniard’s biggest concern in recent months, especially due to the spiraling rental costs, in large towns and cities.
Read more: Spain’s Battle against Record Tourism
The average rental cost has doubled over the past decade, but salaries have not been able to keep up.
Tourist apartments have been identified by many as the main cause of the problem, robbing the accommodation from local residents.
Spain is the second most popular tourist destination in the world after France, with 94 million foreign visitors in 2024, an increase of 13% the previous year.
Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said earlier this year that “there are too many air bins and the homes are not enough,” promising to prevent the “uncontrolled” spread of the use of property for tourism.
Getty Images
Spain is the second most popular country in the world for foreign tourists
Some local governments are also beginning to act against Airbnb.
Barcelona City Hall says it will eliminate 10,000 short-term tourist apartments by the end of 2028.
Others are taking a different approach. In recent months, Airbnb has reached an agreement with local governments in the Canary Islands. Ibiza and Murcia aim to ensure that property owners comply with tourist rental regulations.
Airbnb responded to the court’s ruling and Bustinduy’s announcement, appealing a decision related to the case, claiming that no evidence of a violation of the rules was provided by the host.
He also cited the 2022 ruling by the Spanish Supreme Court. This concludes that the responsibility for the listing was “neutral intermediary” and not the real estate provider, but the host of each property, not the company.
The company also stated a broader point about the Spanish housing issue.
“The root cause of Spain’s affordable housing crisis is the lack of supply to meet demand,” the spokesman said. “Governments around the world see that Airbnb regulations have not alleviated housing concerns or eased homes back to the market. It will only hurt local families who rely on hosting to buy homes and increase costs.”
Last summer, Spain saw a wave of protests against overtourism at many popular destinations.
The summer is expected to be noisy as the number of foreign visitors to Spain approaches 100 million per year.
On Sunday, thousands took to the streets of the Canary Islands under the slogan “Canary has restrictions.”
In Mallorca, Més Vida (tourism, more lives), a group called Menys Turisme, is preparing for similar actions, with protests scheduled for June 15th.
