Spain continues to wage war on tourists as new law comes in

A new Spanish law signals even more of a crackdown on tourists (Image: Getty)

A new Spanish law will make it harder for properties to be used as tourist accommodation in the country's latest bid to stem the tide of foreign visitors. A change to Spain's Horizontal Property Law will mean homeowners wanting to make extra cash by renting it out to foreigners will need approval from their community association as well as a tourist licence. Prior to the ruling this week, short-term holiday lets could be set up in apartment blocks without the need for any input or permission required from neighbours.

Communities were also only allowed to veto approved tourist rentals with a three-fifths majority at a local meeting, but both "prior" and "express" permission will now be needed to legally charge rent on an apartment in Spain, authorities said. It comes after protests erupted in tourist hotspots, including the Balearic and Canary Islands, last summer, after a staggering rise in the number of holiday rental beds on the party island of Majorca of 115,000 since 2015.

Anti-tourism protests were held across Spain last summer (Image: Getty)

"This regulation was necessary to avoid tensions in coexistence and ... is a step forward to [approving or rejecting] this economic activity in a residential building," Julia Martinez Torres, president of Madrid's Professional Association of Property Administrators, told the El Mundo newspaper.

Spanish authorities have also announced fresh taxes on visitors from abroad, with levies on overnight stays set to double to £12 pee person in Barcelona by the end of the year.

Holidaymakers heading to Gran Canara this summer will also have to watch out for new rules about beach conduct. Banned activities, including playing music in sunbathing areas, can incur fines of up to £2,500.

Anti-tourism campaigners based in Majorca urged foreigners to "stay home" in a passionate open letter penned last month after the Balearic archipelago recorded a record 18.7 million visitors during 2024.

"We don't need more tourists; in fact, you are the source of our problem," the signatories said. "At this moment, we have no choice but to ask for your understanding ... that we, the people of Mallorca, are saying: ENOUGH! STAY HOME!"

The rise in demonstrations across the country has been substantially driven by the impact of the short-term let industry on Spain's raging housing crisis, with mortgages and rent prices surging over the last decade.

Residents have also complained of being unable to put down roots at home due to enterprising buyers turning shops and other businesses into tourist accommodation.