On the eve of Antoni Gaudi’s 172nd birthday (born June 25, 1852), Barcelona has announced that the city he made world famous with the Familia de Sagrada, would be banning apartment rentals to tourists by 28NOV, 2024.
Barcelona is often cited as an example of over-touristed destinations. Having visited just last week, I can attest to the crowds, line-ups and sold out ticket sales to the city’s most popular locations, including the astonishing and (yet) unfinished Familia de Sagrada and the greenery and great art of the Park Guell (Gaudi Park).
As one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, Spain relies on the economic benefits these foreign dollars bring in, but it has resulted in a disturbing difference in the living accommodations of the local resident and the arguably richer visiting tourist.
Why this move now? Services such as Airbnb have caused apartment rents to increase by as much as 68% over the past ten years, making the city largely unaffordable for many of the residents of the city, and those who work there. Over 10,000 units that are currently on the market for tourists to rent will see their licenses canceled, freeing them up for resale or local rental.
Since 2016, the local government has acted and closed thousands of unlicensed rental apartments. But Barcelona’s tourist apartments association APARTUR is worried this latest move will cause more illegal apartment rentals to enter the market.
How will this affect travellers headed to Barcelona in the next few years?
Barcelona hotels have been living with the impact of a ban which was in place from 2015 to 2023, which restricted new hotel openings in some of the city’s most popular areas. It is thought that the city’s mayor Jaume Collboni will re-evaluate those restrictions because of this latest policy change, potentially resulting in new hotel builds.
The cruise ship market in Barcelona is significant. I was one of 2,000 pax on the Cunard ship Queen Victoria, and it was only one of several much larger ships that visited the port during the four days we were docked there. Barcelona can accept three million cruise pax per year, and perhaps with these latest apartment rental restrictions, cruise ship visits may become even more popular.
Guadi’s legacy will be celebrated in 2026, when it is anticipated that the Familia de Sagrada will be finished , 100 years after construction began. Locals will tell you this date might be artistic license. Planning a visit for his 200th birthday in 2052 might be a more (sur)realistic travel goal.
