Airbnb Urges Barcelona Mayor to Rethink Short-Term Rental Crackdown

MADRID (Reuters) – Global holiday home rental company Airbnb has urged Barcelona's mayor to reconsider a broad crackdown on short-term rentals, claiming it only benefits the hotel sector and does not effectively address overtourism and a housing crisis.

"The only winner from Barcelona's war on short-term rentals is the hotel industry," wrote Sara Rodriguez, Airbnb's head of Policy for Spain and Portugal, in a letter to Mayor Jaume Collboni that was seen by Reuters over the weekend.

Barcelona city hall did not immediately respond to a comment request.

In June, Collboni announced a plan to shut all short-term rentals by 2028 to combat soaring rents for residents, a measure currently facing legal challenges.

Airbnb contended in its letter that previous measures limiting new tourist accommodation licenses in the city center since 2014 have not been effective. The company stated, "A decade later, official data shows that while short-term rentals' numbers have fallen, challenges related to housing and overtourism are worse than ever."

Airbnb cited official data showing long-term rents have surged over 70%, and hotel room prices have increased by more than 60%, even as the number of short-term rental homes halved to 8,842 from 2020 levels.

Furthermore, the company noted that Spain has constructed fewer homes in the last decade than any time since 1970 despite rising demand. There are eight vacant homes for every short-term rental in Barcelona, according to official data.

Airbnb asserted, "Policies addressing vacant homes are more likely to boost affordable housing supply than clamping down on Airbnb," and mentioned it had removed over 7,000 listings from its platform since 2018 in Barcelona.

While Collboni plans to maintain a ban on new hotels in the city center, he seeks new hotel capacity in other parts of Barcelona.

Spain's travel industry association, Exceltur, which comprises major hotel chains, travel agents, tour operators, and airlines, has lobbied for strict regulations on short-term rental platforms since 2022, describing the surge of holiday homes as "out of control" in Spanish cities. Madrid and Malaga are among other cities that have also imposed restrictions this year.