The Spanish government has decided to crack down on Airbnbs and holiday homes at a time when a wave of anti-tourism protests are expected in other parts of the country.
Earlier this week, the Government announced that it wanted to limit the number of holiday homes that already had a lot of tourists.
One of the biggest issues with the proliferation of holiday homes such as Airbnbs is that they can sometimes take away much-needed properties from locals who need somewhere to live, reports suggest.
On Thursday, Spain’s Housing Minister Isabel Rodriguez said she would make the intervention because it is “harming the right to access housing”.
Speaking to Cadena Ser Radio, Ms Rodriguez explained: “This is more than Operation Camp which is the largest ever public housing promotion and I don’t want the centre of Madrid to be a theme park, but to remain a city.
“We will act in a precise and targeted way because tourist rentals in some regions are an opportunity for tourist dynamism but it has to be regulated according to that diversity.”
Ms Rodriguez’s comments come days after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced his plans to cancel the Golden Visa scheme that allows non-EU citizens to buy properties above a certain value.
Despite the dramatic move, Ms Rodriguez reassured that this was not an anti-tourism move and that the Prime Minister would meet with representatives to try and make sure the situation was handled reasonably.
The latest restriction on tourists comes as anti-tourism fervour grows in the Canary Islands and protests are planned that will strike at the heart of a business that sees millions spent in the islands every year.
The protests are over the impact of overtourism on the residents of places such as Tenerife and Lanzarote. The Tenerife Friends of Nature Association (ATAN) said overtourism was one of the main reasons for their recent problems.
A spokesperson for the group explained: “The problem is due to the chosen model of mass tourism, which also attracts unscrupulous investments and investors and a tourist profile that is mostly disrespectful of the environment and the people who live on these islands.
“The number of tourists is too high for an island territory, in addition to digital nomads and European settlers who stay on the islands with incomes and purchasing power far higher than those of the islanders, so they have access to housing and land to the detriment of the local population.
“We need quality tourism that respects natural resources and does not continue to devour the territory of our archipelago. For this, we need rules that limit urban growth, to limit tourist growth, and to establish more areas subject to protection.”
Express.co.uk has approached Airbnb for comment.
