Holiday hotspot loved by Brits bans 10,000 tourist lets - 'not designed for visitors'

Anti tourism demonstration in Barcelona (Image: Getty)

More than 10,000 tourist properties have been banned in a major Spanish holiday hotspot region loved by Brits. The Andalusian Regional Government has cancelled 10,300 properties since last year until August 2025, as part of measures to tighten controls on unregulated holiday homes.

The province of Malaga had the highest number of cancelled properties, with 3,812 banned, and more than 1,280 were concentrated in the capital, where the region's major airport is located. Granada came second, with 1,807 cancelled, 1,352 were banned in Cadiz, and 1,198 were cancelled in Seville, according to data recently released by the Regional Ministry of Tourism, led by Arturo Bernal.

Spanish residents have taken to the streets to protest overtourism (Image: Getty)

Almeria, Cordoba, Huelva, and Jaen came next, with between 686 and 329 properties cancelled in each location. Mr Bernal said the figures "demonstrate that the work we have been doing is yielding results". 

Inspection, regulation, and planning measures were implemented by the regional government in coordination with Andalusian city councils.

It followed widespread action across Spain, as locals complained that the high number of unregulated tourist housing was pricing locals out, contributing not only to a housing crisis, but also to a loss of culture.

Mr Bernal said that "tourism management is not designed solely for visitors" and instead they are promoting a type of tourism "where residents are a decisive factor when planning our policies," reports Spanish news outlet, Diario Sur.

He asserted that "given the proliferation of this type of accommodation, we saw the need to work closely with the city councils, who are responsible for planning their city models." 

He highlighted they had already signed six agreements with the city councils of Seville, Granada, Malaga, Cadiz, Jerez de la Frontera, and Almería to manage rental homes. 

Similar agreements were in the process of being formalised with other municipalities, such as Córdoba, El Puerto de Santa María, and Alhaurín el Grande, according to Mr Bernal.

The total number of cancelled properties includes those cancelled by the parties involved, and those cancelled at the request of local councils and the Regional Ministry due to urban planning or tourism regulations.