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Spain Poised for Record Tourism in 2024 Following Strong First-Half Growth

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In the first half of 2024, Spain experienced a 13% surge in foreign tourists, positioning the country for yet another record-breaking year for visitor numbers, despite growing concerns over the holiday industry’s impact on popular tourist areas. According to Spain’s data agency INE, 42.5 million international visitors arrived in the country from January to June, with June alone seeing a 12% increase to 9 million, signaling the busy summer season. With this momentum, 2024 is set to surpass last year’s record of 85 million tourists, making Spain the second most visited country in the world, trailing only France.

However, residents in top tourist destinations like Mallorca, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands are increasingly worried about the influx of visitors and its effect on housing prices. Protests have erupted, including a recent incident in Barcelona where anti-tourism activists used water pistols on foreign tourists while chanting “tourists go home,” which garnered global media attention.

Tourist spending also rose significantly, totaling 12.3 billion euros in June—up 17% from the same month last year—contributing to economic growth but complicating efforts by the government to balance tourism with local community interests. Rising housing costs in Spain are partly attributed to the surge in holiday rentals through platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com. Data from the report indicates that there has been a 30% increase in tourists opting for rented apartments, while hotel stays rose by 11%.

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Barcelona mayor vows to abolish holiday lets

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The mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, has announced plans to phase out short-term tourist rentals in the city within five years. He stated that no renewals will be granted for the 10,101 tourist licenses currently in place when they expire by November 2028. These apartments, commonly listed on platforms like Airbnb, will instead be reserved for local residents.

Collboni argued that this measure, equivalent to creating 10,000 new homes, aims to address skyrocketing rents, which have risen by 70% over the past decade, making housing unaffordable. Barcelona faces a housing shortage exacerbated by high tourism rates and its emergence as a tech hub, without sufficient new construction to meet demand, thereby inflating prices.

While some politicians and groups support the move as a way to alleviate housing pressure, others criticize it for infringing on property rights and argue that waiting until 2028 is too long for residents facing immediate displacement. Right-wing critics likened the policy to property expropriation seen in regimes like Venezuela’s, while tourist apartment associations claimed it would drive illegal rentals.

The debate reflects broader tensions in Spain over the impacts of mass tourism on local communities and housing affordability.

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europe news daily trending world news Airbnb host admits killing guest over unpaid bill
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Airbnb host admits killing guest over unpaid bill

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An Airbnb host in Australia has admitted manslaughter of a guest at his home near Melbourne. Jason Colton (42) denies murder, but has pleaded guilty for killing Ramis Jonuzi, who couldn’t afford to pay for his room in an Airbnb property. The incident happened over an unpaid bill worth £112. The case was handled by Victoria state Supreme Court.

Colton admits the manslaughter of Mr Jonuzi in 2017, but denies the murder. He said that he did not intended to cause any harm to Jonuzi, but just wanted him to pass out. He added that he never wanted him to be killed or seriously injured. Mr Jonuzi had been subletting a room in Melbourne from Colton, who was also a tenant in the same home.

Mr Jonuzi was a bricklayer, who had rented the room in Brighton East since he wanted an affordable and stable place to stay while he dealt with some “personal issues”, reported ‘The Age’, an Australian daily.

The room was rented to three men named Colton, landlord Craig Levy and flatmate Ryan Smart at first, for three nights, but then asked to extend his stay for a week for A$210. But at the check-out day, he had less than A$10 in his account and was therefore unable to pay.

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