Spain's Hoteliers Call For Better Regulation As Short-Term Rentals Boom In 20 Biggest Cities
Spain News
Published: 28 November 2022 17:30 CET
Hoteliers in Spain have called for better regulation after a study revealed that the number of short-term accommodations in Spain's 20 biggest cities is rapidly catching up with the number of rooms managed by hotels.
The study which was provided by Exceltur revealed that around 300,000 private properties are currently being offered for short-term rental in the country's largest cities, fast approaching the 389,779 rooms available from hotels.
Exceltur is lobbying for a new law to regulate short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb and describes the situation as “out of control”.
Airbnb reported this month that they had seen a 31% rise in the number of single-room listings, attributing the rise to homeowners seeing to combat the cost of living crisis by renting out their properties.
With short-term rentals overall cheaper than hotel accommodations, they are more appealing to savvy tourists looking for a bargain. Short-term rentals are also more profitable for owners than letting their properties long-term.
The study showed that in at least six major cities, the number of short-term rentals grew by 34.5% over the past 12 months to September.
At least six out of 10 homes in Seville are available to tourists through short-term rental platforms, the survey said, while in the heart of Madrid about a third of homes near the historic Puerta del Sol are available for short stays.
Furthermore, the number of hotel rooms available in popular cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, and Seville has grown at a pace of just 2% per year since 2010, the study said.
"We all have to play on equal terms," said Gabriel Escarrer, who heads Exceltur and serves as Chief Executive of Spain's biggest hotel group, Melia. "These properties have to meet certain requirements in order to be marketed."
One of the main ways to achieve this would be to force the platforms to make sure that the property is registered as a tourist accommodation with the local authorities before being marketed.
Source
https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2022-11-22/spanish-short-term-rentals-boom-has-tourist-sector-clamouring-for-rules
https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/short-term-accommodation-in-spain-booms-in-20-biggest-cities-study-reveals/
