MADRID (AP) \u2014 Spain could receive as many as 100 million tourists this year, according to some projections, which the country\u2019s economy minister said poses challenges for residents that the government can no longer afford to ignore.<\/p>\n
Last year, Spain received a record 94 million international visitors<\/a>, making it one of the most visited countries in the world.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important to understand that these record numbers in terms of tourism also pose challenges,\u201d Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo said in an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press. \u201cAnd we need to deal with those challenges also for our own population.\u201d<\/p>\n Tourism is a key sector for the Southern European nation’s economy, which grew faster than any major advanced economy last year at 3.2%, and is projected to grow at 2.4% this year, according to the Bank of Spain, well ahead of the expected eurozone average of 0.9%.<\/p>\n But a stubborn housing crisis in which home and rental costs have skyrocketed in cities such as Madrid, Barcelona and elsewhere has led to growing frustration about one aspect tied to tourism in particular: the proliferation of short-term rental apartments in city centers.<\/p>\n The country has seen several large protests<\/a> that have drawn tens of thousands of people to demand more government action on housing. Signs at demonstrations with slogans such as \u201cGet Airbnb out of our neighborhoods\u201d point to the growing anger.<\/p>\n In response, the government recently announced it was cracking down on Airbnb<\/a> listings that it said were operating in the country illegally, a decision that the company is appealing.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are a 49 million-inhabitants country,” Cuerpo said. The record numbers of tourists illustrate the \u201cattractiveness of our country, but also of the challenge that we have in terms of dealing and providing for a good experience for tourists, but at the same time avoiding overcharging (for) our own services and our own housing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The Bank of Spain recently said the country has a deficit of 450,000 homes. Building more public housing is critical to solve the problem, Cuerpo said. Spain has a lower stock of public housing than many other major European Union countries.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the key challenge for this term,\u201d the minister said of the country’s housing woes.<\/p>\n On the possibility of more U.S. tariffs on EU goods, the top economic policymaker for the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy said he believed the EU still wanted to reinforce economic ties with the U.S.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the EU side, we are constructive but we are not naive,” Cuerpo said, adding that the bloc would pursue \u201cother routes protecting our firms and industries\u201d if no agreement with the Trump administration can be reached.<\/p>\n \u7e7c\u7e8c\u95b1\u8b80 <\/p>\n A 90-day pause on tariffs announced by the EU and the U.S. is slated to end on July 14.<\/a> About halfway through that grace period, U.S. President Donald Trump announced 50% tariffs on steel imports. The U.S. has also enacted a 25% tariff on vehicles and 10% so-called reciprocal tariffs on most other goods.<\/p>\n