A brand new two-year ban has been slapped on a Spanish area popular with Brits in an effort to curb so-called overtourism.
The impact of mass tourism in Spain continues to rage on, with growing concern from many councils across the country.
Locals and officials alike are fretting about the environmental impact of high amounts of visitors as well as soaring property prices as many are priced out of the areas that they call home.
As such, one city council has implemented a two-year ban when it comes to new holiday rental properties.
The popular holiday spot of Alicante in Spain has passed a temporary ban on new licences for short-term tourist lets.
Alicante City Council has issued the ban, with the area’s urban planning councillor, Rocío Gómez, explaining that the two-year ban would provide an opportunity to review and refine regulations governing holiday rentals.
She said: “We aim to purify all those homes that do not comply with the regulations.”
According to Right Casa Estates, the region of Alicante is the biggest attraction among Brits with roughly 76,739 Britons living in the province of the Valencia region.
Other Spanish spots have also previously announced similar limits as Alicante City Council with Barcelona’s mayor Jaume Collboni also announcing plans to ban short term rentals in the region from November 2028.
The Alicante City Council recently commissioned a report on tourist housing and found that the estimated number of tourist flats to be around 4,108. This means there is 2.31% of the total housing stock of which 3,292 are not licensed.
Gómez also stated future plans involving neighbourhood-specific studies to help determine suitable limits for holiday rentals and to establish a public registrations system when it comes to compliant properties.
“Our main aim is to take care of our neighbourhoods and citizens, always taking into account the tourist character of our city,” added Gomez.
Alicante is a popular destination for British expats thanks to the region’s mix of modern and historic features, its rich culture and of course, the region’s great weather.
There have been growing concerns regarding anti-tourism in many popular Spanish holiday resorts in 2024.
This includes residents in destinations including the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands which have raised their concerns regarding the impact of mass tourism.
