Apartur warns that eliminating tourist apartments could leave 52,000 MWC attendees without a bed
The employers' association says this measure will harm the technology congress: "We cannot afford to lose it."
BarcelonaThe Mobile World Congress (MWC) is the most important trade fair held in Barcelona and serves as a barometer of everything happening in the city. Although its organizers have stated and published that their relationship with the Catalan capital is long-term, there are always voices warning that its continued presence may be in jeopardy. the ad Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni's proposed ban on tourist apartments has sparked outrage among their owners. If the city's 10,000 tourist apartments are eliminated, the Barcelona Tourist Apartment Association (Apartur) warns that more than 52,000 attendees of the Mobile World Congress will be left without accommodation. "We cannot afford to lose the MWC or other conferences that have made Barcelona a global benchmark," warns Apartur's CEO, Marian Muro. According to data released by the association, the Catalan capital has a total of 152,320 tourist accommodation places, of which 58,124 are tourist apartments, representing nearly 40% of the total supply. Aside from MWC, the employers' association has also calculated how it could affect other events held in Barcelona, such as Sónar, where they indicate that more than 66,000 attendees would be left without accommodation.
"The occupancy rate of tourist apartments at key times like MWC is above 90%," says Muro. The association, highly critical of the City Council, also criticizes the increase in funds allocated to attract more conferences when the goal is to eliminate tourist apartments. "Without tourist apartments, it won't be possible to offer enough beds," they emphasize.
A warning about the future of MWC that amplify Hoteliers. The Barcelona Hotel Association has criticized the planned increase in the tourist tax, arguing that it could negatively impact the technology congress. leave to another city. According to the city council's proposal to raise the tax, currently before the Catalan Parliament, the nightly rate would increase to between 10 and 15 euros by 2029, depending on the establishment's category.
"110,000 people attend Mobile World Congress. If you apply such significant increases, it could mean the congress will see a cost increase of 400,000 to 600,000 euros," said its president, Jordi Clos. However, the city council points out that since the tax came into effect in 2012, it has not discouraged tourism; quite the opposite, in fact, with record-breaking years that have taken the sector to unprecedented levels.