Spanish court overturns government measure against proliferation of tourist properties

Residents of Barcelona splash tourists in protest against excessive tourism
The Spanish court annulled, this Thursday (21), one of the measures implemented by the left-wing government to combat the proliferation of tourist properties, which consisted of a register of these properties created in 2025.
The court ruled that the measure infringed on the prerogatives of the regions, which have jurisdiction over tourist matters, and that the State does not have the authority "to establish comprehensive regulations for a national register that overrides the registers existing regional areas".
The decision represents a serious blow to the government of socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, which seeks to regulate the tourist accommodation market, accused of driving the skyrocketing increase in rents in the main cities and reducing the number of homes available to residents.
The national registry stipulated that all properties intended for seasonal rental, especially on platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com, must have a registration number, essential to advertise them for rental and that it must be renewed annually.
Cúpula Chulavista in Cantabria, Spain
Disclosure / Airbnb
An appeal presented in May last year by the authorities of the Valencia region, a few months after the announcement of the measure, led to the Supreme Court's determination.
Valencia, like Andalusia, is one of the regions in Spain that are governed by the opposition to the government, by right-wing parties.
Despite the decision, the Supreme Court maintained the obligation of online rental platforms to "transmit data for statistical purposes" about rented properties - just without the need to go through a centralized system.
Spain, the world's second most popular tourist destination, welcomed a record 97 million tourists last year.

Source: G1