Madrid has taken decisive steps to address the challenges of overtourism by proposing regulations to significantly restrict Airbnb and homeshare listings in the city.
Secretary for Sustainable Urban Planning, José Manuel Calvo, unveiled these measures last week in response to growing concerns among locals about the impact of mass tourism on housing affordability.
The proposed rules in Madrid include a limit on renting apartments to tourists for no more than 90 days per year. Moreover, entire apartment blocks will be prohibited from being exclusively designated for tourist accommodations unless the building holds a hotel license.
Stringent restrictions will vary based on the location within the city, with more central areas facing stricter regulations. In the Central zone, Airbnbs will require a dedicated entrance independent of that used by permanent residents, potentially reshaping the landscape of vacation rentals in the city significantly.
Similar initiatives are being implemented in other Spanish destinations such as Valencia, where new restrictions are proposed to limit private holiday rentals above the first floor, and in Valencia’s historic old town, no new rentals will be allowed.
Palma, the capital of Mallorca, has already imposed a complete ban on private vacation rentals earlier this year.
These measures aim to address concerns of locals being displaced due to rising housing costs driven by the tourism industry.
Such restrictions, if enacted, represent a notable shift in urban planning policies and could lead to a significant transformation of the tourism landscape in these cities.
Advocates of responsible tourism, including Justin Francis, CEO and founder of Responsible Travel, applaud these decisions as an essential step in addressing the issues of mass tourism.
They emphasize the importance of listening to the perspectives of local residents, vacationers, and officials to foster open dialogue and promote sustainable tourism practices.
The evolving approach in these cities reflects a growing awareness of the need for responsible tourism management to balance the economic benefits of tourism with the well-being of local communities.