Airbnb Calls for Barcelona to Rethink Clampdown on Short-Term Rentals

Barcelona, Spain. Photo source: Airbnb

On the 10th anniversary of Barcelona’s crackdown on short-term rentals, Airbnb is urging the city’s mayor to reconsider the city’s approach, citing data that shows the policies have not resolved housing and overtourism issues.

In 2014, the City of Barcelona introduced a moratorium on tourist accommodation licenses, severely restricting the ability of residents to share their homes. A decade later, official data reveals that while the number of short-term rentals has decreased, housing shortages and overtourism are more pronounced than ever.

“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.

‘A failed strategy’

In June 2024, Collboni announced a plan to eliminate all short-term rentals by 2028 in an effort to curb soaring rents for residents. This proposal is currently being challenged in court.

Airbnb argues that none of Barcelona’s previous measures, which imposed strict limits on new tourist accommodation licenses in the city center since 2014, have proven effective in addressing the underlying issues.

Housing shortage and rising costs

Airbnb highlighted that in the past decade, Spain has built fewer homes than at any time since 1970. Despite stagnant construction levels, demand for new housing has grown significantly. According to data from the Ministry of Housing, in 2023, the creation of new households in Spain outpaced new home construction by a ratio of three to one.

As the number of Airbnb listings in Barcelona has fallen, rents and property prices have surged. Since the city’s clampdown began, rents have risen by 70 percent, and the average home price has increased by 60 percent.

Vacant homes and ineffective policies

Airbnb’s data reveals that vacant homes in Barcelona outnumber short-term rentals by a margin of eight to one. The company argues that policies targeting vacant properties, rather than short-term rentals, would be more effective in increasing the supply of affordable housing.

Source: Airbnb

Hotel industry expansion

Despite concerns about overtourism, the hotel sector in Barcelona continues to expand. Official tourism figures show that 75 percent of tourists in 2023 stayed in hotels or hostels. According to Airbnb, local governments across Spain, including Barcelona, have approved plans to build over 800 new hotels, adding 75,000 hotel rooms, with nearly 90 percent of them allocated to existing tourist hotspots.

Soaring hotel prices

The Airbnb announcement further notes that with limited competition, the hotel industry has raised prices to record highs. Official data indicates that the average price of a hotel room in Barcelona has skyrocketed by more than 60 percent over the past decade.

Source: Airbnb

A call for change

“Just like in New York City, Barcelona’s decade-long clampdown on Airbnb is failing to deliver on its promise to combat overtourism and the housing crisis,” said Theo Yedinsky, VP of Public Policy at Airbnb.

“The only winner from Barcelona’s war on short-term rentals is the hotel industry, which is expanding rapidly and increasing prices,” Yedinsky continued. “We encourage Barcelona to rethink its approach, as it’s clear that Airbnb is not the cause of the city’s historic challenges. We are eager to collaborate with leaders to establish new regulations that support local hosts and make tourism more sustainable for all.”

Airbnb also notes that authorities in the EU, Spain, and Catalonia have criticized Barcelona’s policies as ineffective, raising concerns about their fairness, necessity, and impact. Local hosts are currently challenging these rules in court, underscoring the need for a more balanced approach that considers the interests of all stakeholders.