A policy approach to the impact of tourist dwellings in condominiums and neighbourhoods in Barcelona

Abstract

Tourism is a strong business sector in Spain. In terms of tourist accommodation, in addition to hotels, guesthouses and rural housing, more and more private dwellings are increasingly being transformed into tourist dwellings. Thus, in 2014, lodgings offered by these tourist dwellings were nearly twice the lodgings offered by hotels: 2.7 million compared to 1.4 million. This phenomenon is being greatly facilitated by new online platforms known as ‘collaborative economy’ – e.g. Airbnb or HomeAway. Barcelona, in particular, experiences a high concentration of tourist dwellings in certain neighbourhoods, as it is the fourth-ranked destination in terms of Airbnb guests. And in addition to the positive economic impact on the city and households, this phenomenon has also brought some negative side effects, even more in a country where 66.5% of the population live in flats (the highest amongst EU Member States), which are normally organised as condominiums. The aim of this article is twofold. First, to present the main negative impact of the abrupt growth concerning the transformation of private dwellings into tourist dwellings: the effects on the housing market in general on the liveability and security in neighbourhoods and also in condominiums. Second, to address the policies affecting both at public and private levels in order to protect and preserve neighbourhoods and condominiums without hindering the tourist development in the city. Measures such as the suspension on the concession of tourist dwellings licences, the approval of a new special urban planning and the regulation of a room rental scheme will be mentioned.

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