Anti-tourism sentiment across Europe has left holidaymakers feeling unwelcome (Image: Getty)
A clampdown on illegal holiday lets is the latest in a series of moves that has left international tourists unsure if they're "welcome" in Spain. Holidaymakers have been caught offguard by the mass removal of illegal holiday lets in regions across the country, with Booking.com pulling over 4,000 illegal rental listings from its Spanish market this month, with the majority in the Canary Islands. Alongside the archipelago, which is among the European regions struggling most with overtourism after a record-breaking 1.55 million foreign arrivals in March 2025, accommodation in Asturias, Cantabria, Castilla y Leon, Navarra, La Rioja and Castilla-La Mancha was also affected.
It follows the outbreak of demonstrations across the country calling for further action to curb the negative impacts of overtourism, which airline officials have warned are making holidaymakers afraid of booking holidays in Spain. "We've had people ringing the call centre and going into travel agents, asking questions like 'Is Spain safe?', 'Are we still welcome in the resort?'" Steve Heapy, chief executive of Jet2, said. "It is becoming a big issue, unfortunately, and perception becomes truth."
Thousands of illegal holiday lets have been removed from the Canary Islands (Image: Getty)
Pablo Bustinduy, Spanish Minister for Consumer Affairs, said the latest clampdown was a "positive step" towards tackling the overtourism crisis, however.
"This kind of unregulated activity puts pressure on the local housing market and reduces the availability of affordable homes for residents," he told the Canarian Weekly.
It comes after the ministry heaped pressure on online platforms including Booking.com to remove listings that don't have a valid registration of licence number or have failed to provide proof of management by an individual or company.
The disclosure of this information is mandatory for short-term lets in Spain and officials hope that the scrapping of 4,093 listings from the country's rental market will help to tackle the housing crisis that has seen locals priced out by wealthy expats and holidaymakers on short-term breaks.
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The removal of thousands of illegal listings from Booking.com came just days after Spanish officials won a High Court bid for Airbnb to scrap more than 65,000 listings in the country which they said didn't meet legal requirements.
Protests erupted across Spain and other parts of Europe earlier this month, following a summer packed with anti-tourism demonstrations last year.
Holidaymakers in cities including Barcelona, San Sebastian and Palma were sprayed with waterguns and subjected to huge sign-wielding crowds on June 15, amid calls for stronger infrastructure, reduced tourist footfall and a more affordable housing market.
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