A new interactive map shows the resorts and cities that the Spanish say have been ‘colonised’ by almost 400,000 holiday lets – with around 85% of flats in Malaga’s historic centre now associated with tourist rentals.
On Monday, Spain‘s Ministry of Consumer Affairs ordered Airbnb to remove more than 65,000 holiday homes from its platform as part of a crackdown on illegal listings, saying that they violated ‘various regulations on tourist-use housing’.
The country is currently facing a housing crisis as construction has failed to keep up with demand – and less tourists is being seen as one way to solve it.
The news is likely to be a bitter pill for British tourists to swallow; the nation’s love affair with Spain spans back decades and, according to YouGov data published earlier this year, it’s the place we’re most likely to go to for a summer holiday in 2025.
Data collected in the last three months of 2024 showed that Spain remains Britain’s favourite destination, with 15.9% of Brits saying it’s the country they’re most likely to visit next, with the UK (14.3%) and Italy (9.3%), in second and third place.
The interactive map published in Spanish newspaper El Diario this week showed exactly which resorts and cities in the country have the highest numbers of tourist lets.
The map, which used data from the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE), reveals where the 397,000 holiday rentals that were listed in August last year on Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo are.
An interactive map published by Spanish newspaper El Diario shows exactly which towns and cities in Britain’s favourite holiday destination has the highest proportion of holiday lets, based on data published by the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) (Pictured: Malaga on the map)
Thousands of anti-tourism protesters took to the streets of the Canary Islands this week as part of an ongoing backlash against holidaymakers in Spain – the country has ordered Airbnb to remove more than 65,000 holiday homes from its platform as part of a crackdown on illegal listings
Surprisingly, Spanish cities have the highest proportion of tourist lets compared with beach resorts, with 85% of apartments in Malaga’s historic central district linked to holiday rentals.
Meanwhile in Barcelona, one in ten flats in the popular tourist districts of Plaça Catalunya and Passeig de Gràcia are rented out to tourists according to the data, while in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol more than 20 per cent of flats host tourists in the Spanish capital.
This week, holidaymakers were reportedly cowering in hotels as anti-tourism protesters stormed the streets of the Canary Islands, as fed up locals disrupted sunshine bliss for tourists.
Thousands of fed-up residents kicked off demonstrations across the archipelago, including in Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Ela Hierro, La Palma, La Gomera, and Lanzarote.
Dozens of armed officers from the National Police were seen on patrol, as protesters were heard blowing through enormous shells to make a loud horn-like noise, while banging on drums.
They marched with the slogan ‘Canarias tiene un limite’ (The Canaries has a limit, while slogan were chanted such as: ‘El dinero del turismo, donde está?’, meaning ‘The money from tourism, where is it?’
Demonstrators have also taken to the streets in Barcelona, Valencia as well as Madrid, as tensions towards tourists have continued to rise over the last year.
And the news that 65,000 Airbnb listings are set to be banned – because officials say they don’t include a licence number and some do not specify whether they’re run by an individual or corporation, is likely to further inflame tensions.
The country’s Consumer Rights Ministry said 65,000 Airbnb listings violated existing rules
The news follows huge protests against tourism in the Canary Islands over the weekend. Activists are calling for a cap on the number of holidaymakers, to prevent overcrowding and resource depletion
Pablo Bustinduy, Spain’s Consumer Rights Minister, said this month: ‘No more excuses. Enough with protecting those who make a business out of the right to housing in our country.’
The minister said his goal was to end the ‘lack of control’ and ‘illegality’ in the holiday rental industry.
In April, locals fired water pistols at a tour bus outside Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia, as they warned of bigger protests this summer.
In Lanzarote this week, an Irish holidaymaker revealed he was too scared to leave his AirBnB, as one furious tourist was spotted waste and sewage on Canary Island politicians.
Alberto Babo, 32, told MailOnline: ‘I didn’t go out today due to the protests, I’m stuck in my Airbnb to avoid the crowds. I hope they are not violent or anything but just to be safe I’m here. All I can hear is the noise.’
One placard read: ‘Stop excessive tourism… this is our home,’ while another said: ‘My misery is your paradise’.
A banner declared the Canary Islands ‘is no longer a paradise’ thanks to tourism.
Another sign was inscribed with the words: ‘tourists swim in s**t’, referencing the large amount of sewage water that is dumped into the sea – the majority of it, activists say, coming from hotels and tourist accommodations.
Protesters want much stricter controls on vacation rentals to alleviate the housing crisis
Protestors pictured beating drums during the protests against British holidaymakers: Spain remains the most popular destination for Brits to holiday in, according to YouGov research
Thousands of anti-tourism protesters have taken to the streets of the Canary Islands in recent months to protest against over-tourism
Other placards in Spanish said: ‘Don’t sell your homes to guiris!’ Guiri is a Spanish slang word for British and other tourists.
Demonstrators could also be heard shouting ‘Canarias No Se Vende’, meaning ‘The Canary Islands Are Not For Sale,’ while the blew whistles and proudly held Canary Island flags in the sky.
Marchers also echoed the chant ‘No hay cams pa’ tanto guiri’, translating to ‘There’s not enough beds for so many foreigners.’ While another placard read: ‘Enjoying a day at your pool? That water could be going on food.’
According to Metro, there were initially 2,000 marchers expected to participate in the march this Sunday – a significantly lower number than an April protest against anti-tourism in Tenerife capital, Santa Cruz.
Holidaymakers looked on from rooftops as protesters marched by, as locals reportedly took the opportunity to pull the middle finger towards tourist, who allegedly did kissing gestures back.
Among the protesters is Paula McKnight Morales, 39, whose father is from the US but who grew up on the islands.
The swimming instructor told MailOnline: ‘Spain has become the after party for Europe, and Tenerife has more tourists per year than Brazil, we don’t have room.
‘We are not against individual tourists, just those who don’t respect the rules, who throw trash and pollute and commit crimes.
‘We have toilets that are closed on our beaches because they are contaminated by sewage.
‘Since our historic protest last year the government has done nothing, they have actually increased the number of tourists coming and we don’t have enough room. The traffic is so bad when they are here; a 15-minute journey takes one hour.
‘The number of Airbnbs is too high and there is nowhere to rent, it is catastrophic for the island.’
