Tourism and housing: how do we do it?

The demand for tourist accommodation and the need for affordable housing are interconnected in most stressed areas. Barcelona is the epicenter of the problem, but the taint is spreading increasingly beyond. The appeal of the Catalan capital and the country as a whole is evident: not only as a pure tourist destination, but also as a place to come for research, conferences and fairs, to boost business and investment, to study, to engage in culture and sports... Tourism must be regulated, but we cannot ignore this entire influx of visitors. If we want to continue progressing economically, we need many of them. This cannot be ignored, however, because the massive arrival of so many people, for short or long periods, has strained the supply of housing rentals and purchases, turning them into a major social and political issue. Precarious wages resulting from an economy heavily dependent on services and an increase in immigration—who also need a place to live—to fill a large part of the jobs in the service sector (tourism itself, but also construction and caregiving) contribute to making the problem more complex.

A complexity that forces a wide range of solutions to be sought, with the administration pushing. If the public sector doesn't act, market dynamics alone will only make things worse. Right now, Barcelona City Council, which is seeking a complete end to tourist apartments by the end of 2028, is running into stiff opposition from Airbnb, which, according to the mayor's office, is failing to cooperate in suppressing illegal apartments. Airbnb is a long way from registering its short-term rentals with the Ministry of Consumer Affairs before July 1—as required by the new state law. The struggle between this platform and the city government is symptomatic and has already occurred in other major metropolises.

The complexity calls for work in other areas, starting with promoting housing construction in collaboration between the public and private sectors, in a regulated manner. The machinery has been set in motion, although the effect will be medium and long term. In the shorter term, the rent cap policy is beginning to yield results, but with side effects: prices for new regulated rentals have fallen nationwide by 4.7% compared to a year ago—in Barcelona, ​​8.9%—but the number of new seasonal contracts has increased by 52%, which the Catalan government is now focusing on, thanks to an agreement with the ERC. However, contrary to what some had said, in absolute terms in Catalonia there are currently 3,112 more rental contracts than a year ago, so the caps have not reduced the supply of apartments for landlords.

The implementation of aid for young people to acquire a home is another measure to be applauded, as is the Spanish government's crusade against real estate agencies that abuse tenants. There is much work to be done to make the right to housing a universal reality. Tragedies like the suicide of people who have been evicted should not be repeated, nor should the independent living plans of young people continue to be thwarted.