Tourism crackdown defended by Barcelona mayor after ‘drastic’ action taken

Barcelona’s mayor has defended a controversial plan to ban all tourist flats by 2028, describing it as a “drastic” but necessary measure to tackle the city’s housing crisis.

Jaume Collboni, speaking in one of his first interviews with international media since the June announcement, insisted the bold move was essential to address soaring housing costs in the Catalan capital.

The plan aims to return more than 10,000 properties currently used as tourist accommodation to the city’s residential market, affecting rentals on platforms such as Airbnb.

“It’s very drastic but it has to be because the situation is very, very difficult,” Collboni said.

The ban comes as rental prices in Barcelona have surged by 68 per cent over the past decade, while house purchase costs have risen by 38 per cent.

The city currently has 10,101 licences allowing properties to be rented to tourists through platforms like Airbnb.

The measure targets the estimated 32 million tourists who visit the city of 1.7 million residents annually.

Barcelona officials have previously attempted to manage tourist accommodation through limiting licence numbers.

“After years, we’ve come to the conclusion that doing things halfway doesn’t work,” Collboni explained, noting the difficulty of managing illegal rentals.

The city plans to simply not renew any tourist flat licences when they expire in 2028.

Mayor Collboni pointed to two fundamental issues with mass tourism in the city centre: housing access and community cohesion.

He said: “Under the model of mass tourism that has colonised the city centre, we’ve seen two things fundamentally harmed: the right of access to housing, because housing is used for economic activity, and coexistence among neighbours.”

The mayor likened illegal tourist flats to running a restaurant from home.

“We say no, you can’t do whatever you want with your property. An apartment is to be lived in; it is not a business,” he stated.

The city currently employs 30 inspectors who detect over 300 illegal tourist flats monthly.

The implementation of the ban faces several key challenges, including its extended timeline to 2028.

This date stems from regional legislation that limited tourist flat licences to five years in areas with housing shortages.

A significant hurdle is that Collboni’s mayoral term ends in 2027, potentially leaving the plan vulnerable to changes by a new administration.

Property owners may also request one-time extensions of up to five years if they can prove significant investment in their properties.

However, Collboni maintains these extension cases would represent only a “minor part” of Barcelona’s tourist flat licences.

The city plans to hire 10 additional inspectors to strengthen enforcement against illegal rentals.

The ban faces significant legal opposition, with property owners threatening substantial compensation claims.

Apartur, representing 85 per cent of legal tourist flat owners in Barcelona province, announced plans to sue for compensation in September.

The organisation described the city’s plan as “covert forced expropriation” and suggested claims could reach €3billion (£2.5billion).

A constitutional court challenge is also pending, brought by the conservative People’s party.

The legal challenge argues that regional legislation has overstepped its boundaries regarding private property use regulations.

Local neighbourhood associations have expressed mixed reactions to the ban’s timeline.

“We didn’t think he was so radical,” said Jaume Artigues of the Eixample Dreta Neighbours Association, representing an area with 17 per cent of the city’s legal tourist flats.

Albert Freixa from the Housing Syndicate of Eixample criticised the extended timeline, questioning promises made beyond the mayor’s term.

Airbnb argued that the city should reconsider its approach, suggesting vacant homes pose a bigger challenge than short-term rentals.

“Tourism has to be limited to what the city can actually absorb,” Collboni concluded. “We cannot grow indefinitely at the expense of those who live in the city.”