Barcelona Airbnb crackdown 10 years on

In 2014, Barcelona imposed a drastic restriction on Airbnb-style accommodations, with the aim of solving the housing and overtourism problems faced in the city.

10 years later, what do we know?

According to Airbnb, in Barcelona:

** Since the crackdown on short-term rentals began, rents have increased by 70%, while the average price of a house has increased by 60%.

** Empty homes in Barcelona outnumber short-term rentals by eight to one.

** According to official data, 75% of tourists in 2023 stayed in hotels and hostels in Barcelona. In Barcelona’s Old Town, where the effects of overtourism are most evident, there are six times more hotel beds than short-term rentals. A third of Barcelona’s hotel beds (22,375 units) are concentrated in the Old Town, compared to just 3,253 short-term rental beds in this area.

** With limited competition, hotels in Barcelona have raised their prices to record levels. Official figures show that over the past decade, the average price of a hotel room in Barcelona has skyrocketed by more than 60%.

Airbnbs down, hotels up in Barcelona

As concerns grow about the effects of overtourism in Barcelona, the city is increasing its already vast and dominant hotel supply. Across Spain, local governments – including Barcelona – have approved plans to build more than 800 new hotels, which will create 75,000 new hotel rooms, with almost 90% of them in tourist hot spots.

Barcelona’s mayor has said that the crackdown on Airbnb is necessary to tackle overtourism in the city, but there are permits for 5,000 new hotel rooms in Barcelona, which will continue to put a strain on the city.

Record housing shortage

Over the past decade, Spain has built fewer homes than during any other decade since the 1970s. While construction levels have remained stagnant, demand for new homes has increased. In 2023, data from the Ministry of Housing showed that new household formation in Spain exceeded the number of new homes built by a ratio of 3 to 1.