Barcelona wants to get rid of short-term rental units. Will other tourist destinations do the same?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Imagine planning a vacation and not being able to check Airbnb or another online booking site for an apartment in which to spend a few days walking, shopping and eating among the locals. Would a hotel do?

That’s the future confronting visitors to central Barcelona in four years. To safeguard and expand the housing supply for full-time residents, local authorities want to rid the Spanish city known for its architecture, beaches and Catalan culture of the 10,000 apartments licensed as short-term rentals.

Barcelona City Hall announced last month that it would not renew any tourist apartment licenses after they expire in 2028. Deputy Mayor Laia Bonet said the city wants tourism, which accounts for 15% of the local economy, but must help residents cope with skyrocketing rents and real estate prices.

“Our housing emergency obligates us, forces us, to change the way we do things and to put the priority on housing above our policies for accommodating tourists,” Bonet told The Associated Press.

https://apnews.com/article/barcelona-spain-tourist-apartments-154cf293078aa14c299e3539d90e9350

[Phoenix61]

1. More power to them. I wish we could do that here. nt

[Mosby]

2. I don't think it's going to work

Too much money is involved.

[303squadron]

3. Some locals are so p!ssed that

Gangs of them are roaming Barcelona streets with the big squirt guns squirting tourists in the face. I know this because an in-law was just there two weeks ago.

[LisaM]

4. Good for them. I wish other places would do this.

The way Airbnb removes housing stock from the market is underreported. Their purported mission was to allow people to rent out extra rooms in owner-occupied residences. But that's not what they do. It's whole apartment buildings and whole houses. It drives up rents, discourages long-term rentals at a time we are being pushed away from home ownership, and means people can't live in the towns where they work.

People need to boycott them. But they won't.

[sinkingfeeling]

5. Good for them.