Barcelona has taken a major step towards addressing its housing crisis and improving the quality of life for its residents.
In an announcement on Friday, the city revealed plans to ban apartment rentals to tourists by 2028.
As per Reuters, the city's mayor, Jaume Collboni, stated that by November 2028, the city will revoke the licenses of 10,101 apartments currently approved as short-term rentals.
"We are confronting what we believe is Barcelona's largest problem," Collboni said.
The rise in short-term rentals has led to a 68% increase in rents and a 38% increase in home prices over the past decade, making housing unaffordable for many residents, especially young people.
Collboni highlighted that the boom in tourism has driven inequality.
Meanwhile, Spain's Socialist housing minister, Isabel Rodriguez, supported Barcelona's decision, emphasising the need to ensure access to affordable housing.
Airbnb, which lists many Barcelona rentals, did not comment on the announcement.
However, Barcelona's tourist apartments association, APARTUR, criticized the move, predicting it would increase poverty, unemployment, and illegal tourist rentals.
Hotels are expected to benefit from the ban although new hotels in popular areas were previously restricted, Collboni indicated a possible relaxation of this rule
The local government promised to maintain a strong inspection regime to detect illegal tourist apartments.
Since 2016, Barcelona has shut down 9,700 illegal tourist rentals and reclaimed 3,500 apartments for local residents.
