Spain’s Tourist Accommodation Surges by 9.2% in Past Year

Discover the latest data from the INE showing a 9.2% increase in tourist accommodation in Spain, with Andalusia leading the way.

The number of holiday homes in Spain continues to rise, with a significant increase of 9.2% reported in February, according to the latest data from the National Statistics Institute (INE). This surge brings the total number of tourist flats in Spain to 351,389, representing 1.33% of the country's total properties. This marks a notable increase from the previous year when tourist flats accounted for 1.21% of the total properties.

Spain's Tourist Accommodation Surges by 9.2% in Past Year

Leading the pack in terms of tourist flats by autonomous region is Andalusia, boasting 82,454 flats, followed closely by the Valencian Community with 59,413 flats and Catalonia with 52,598 flats. The Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Madrid, and Galicia also saw significant increases in the number of tourist flats.

In terms of bedplaces, there was a 13.3% increase from the previous year, with a total of 1,751,263 bedplaces in February. However, the number of bedplaces per tourist accommodation slightly decreased to 4.98 from previous years.

In response to the growing number of tourist apartments, Podemos has introduced a bill in the Congress of Deputies aimed at curbing property speculation and ensuring housing as a fundamental right. The bill includes measures such as extending rental contracts' minimum duration to 10 years and imposing a limit of 2% of tourist housing on the total residential stock.

While Spain's overall tourist properties account for 1.33% of the residential stock, several provinces have exceeded the 2% limit, including Girona, Tarragona, Alicante, the Balearic Islands, Malaga, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and Las Palmas. In contrast, Barcelona and Madrid have lower percentages of tourist properties in their residential stock.

The increasing number of holiday homes in Spain presents both opportunities and challenges for the housing market. It is essential to strike a balance between promoting tourism and ensuring access to affordable housing for residents.