Overtourism has been an issue in Spain for years. Consequently, cities throughout the country have been banning short-term rentals. Another popular vacation spot in the country is joining the list as Spain has imposed a two-year ban on short-term rentals in Alicante.
Alicante and Spanish cities in general, have been a long-time popular vacation spot for the British. In more recent years, Americans have also been flocking to the city to enjoy the Spanish culture.
However, in an attempt to bring in tourists, housing throughout Alicante has been purchased for the express purpose of short-term rentals. This has led to a housing shortage for residents with rents skyrocketing to the point where they are unaffordable, leading to many who once called Alicante home to move.
The ban goes into effect in January 2025. During the two-year ban, the local government will be assessing neighborhoods to address how many short-term rentals are allowed in each neighborhood, “review all the laws over tourist lets and purify all those homes that do not comply with the regulations.”
It is estimated that in Alicante, over 4,100 short-term rentals make up the housing market. This is approximately 2.31% of the total market. Of those short-term rentals, nearly 3,300 are not registered.
In order to remain a rental, the homes and apartments will not only have to be registered but will have to follow local government rules and regulations.
While the ban was passed by a majority of the city council, there were two members who did not vote, and one who voted against it, stating that putting a ban on the short-term rental market will have no effect on whether properties are registered with the city in the future.
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Protests Over The Summer Put A Spotlight On How Overtourism Has Affected Alicante, Spain
In July 2024, residents of Alicante staged a protest against the mass tourism that the city has received in recent years. In 2023 alone, Alicante had “9.7 million tourists”. This is many times more than the 1.8 million residents of the city.
As a consequence of the number of tourists, the number of available apartments has declined markedly in some areas, as 90% have been “converted into Airbnb-style lets”, making it difficult for residents to find affordable places to live. This has led to many living outside of Alicante in areas that are less expensive.
With locals moving out and more foreign residents moving in, some, like protest organizer, Maria Cueva, believe it is only a matter of time before Alicante loses its “soul.”
“We don’t want Alicante to be another example of overtourism as other cities are. This business model is resulting in more people living outside of the city and making neighborhoods lose their soul.” – Maria Cueva
This is not to say that Alicante is against tourism. Residents admit that the tourism dollars help the economy. But with small businesses being unable to sustain themselves against the competition of larger corporate chains that cater to tourists, there is a real fear that Alicante will go the way of other vacation hot spots that have lost their culture in the name of catering to tourists.
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Other Spanish Vacation Hot Spots Banning Short-Term Rentals
Alicante is not alone in placing a ban on short-term holiday rentals. The city joins several others in Spain that have begun to crack down on those visiting the cities in an attempt to battle overtourism.
There have been several protests in Spain over the last several months speaking out against overtourism in the cities. British citizens, in particular, have been warned to stay away due to fears of protesters bringing harm to them, due to their massive presence in Spain.
The protests have led city councils to place short-term bans on vacation rentals in the cities in hopes of allowing residents to again be able to afford rent, to decrease the environmental impact of mass tourism, and to allow small businesses to again thrive.
Some of the locales in Spain that have banned short-term rentals include:
Barcelona has become the first city to declare there will be a complete ban on short-term rentals by 2029. This means no further applications will be accepted by the city and those locations that are already approved will not have their licenses renewed once expired.
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Does this mean that tourism is over for Spain? The answer is no. However, for tourists who are looking to stay in Spain for an extended vacation, it does appear that short-term rentals are going the way of being phased out across the country. Therefore, more traditional lodging will need to be sought and those who rely on income from their rentals will have to find residents to rent to on a long-term basis instead.