Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, has today announced a controversial and drastic move to get rid of all short-term apartment rentals for tourists by 2028. Barcelona's grid pattern truly comes to life when viewed from above. getty Rising living costs in Barcelona The boom in short-term rental apartments in Barcelona has caused a significant increase in living costs in the Catalan capital.
Many residents are unable to afford an apartment after rents have risen by close to 70% in the past 10 years, while the cost of buying a home has increased by almost 40%, Collboni said at a City Council meeting on 21 June, adding that access to housing has become a driver of inequality, particularly for young people. This has led the local government to take drastic measures to guarantee access to housing in the city, the mayor of Barcelona continued. "We cannot permit that the majority of young people who wish to leave home also have to leave Barcelona," said Collboni, according to leading Spanish newspaper El Pais .
The issue of overtourism has been a growing concern in Barcelona in recent years. getty Spain, the second most-visited country in the world Spain is one of the most-visited countries in the world . According to a report published by Statista in June 2024, the country’s visitor numbers are second only to those of France, having received more than 85 million international tourists in 2023, a higher number than the pre-p.
