Spanish islands propose law to limit short-term via platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com to help reduce overtourism

The Canary Islands’ proposed law will limit the number of short-term lets, which have dramatically increased - a problem faced by authorities worldwide

Meanwhile, a collective of groups opposed to overtourism are planning protests under the slogan ‘The Canaries have a limit’

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The Canary Islands, off northwest Africa, are drafting a strict law to curb short-term holiday lets, many of which are company-owned. Above: A street in the old town of Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, in The Spanish Canaries. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 4:45pm, 18 Apr 2024Updated: 4:54pm, 18 Apr 2024

Soon after Maria Rosa Sanchez reported her neighbour for renting her building’s rooftop in Tenerife as a campsite on Airbnb, police officers carried out an early morning raid and local authorities opened an investigation.

The closure of the campsite, which offered tents for €12 (US$13) a night, is a foretaste of a new hard line towards illegal short-lets on Spain’s Canary Islands, an archipelago off northwest Africa, where listings on platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com have soared.

A draft law expected to pass this year toughening the rules on short lets follows complaints from locals priced out of the housing market and from hotels facing taxes and sustainability rules skirted by companies investing in short-term rentals.

Authorities worldwide are grappling with similar issues: Canada, Australia, Malaysia and Italy are among many countries where rules have been tightened around short-term rentals to protect local communities.

Candelaria harbour in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. Photo: Shutterstock

Minister of Tourism for the Canary Islands Jessica de Leon said enforcement support for the seven islands’ 35 inspectors is the key to success of the new rules.

“We are going to empower [the police] so that they can act when fraudulent behaviour is detected in homes,” she said.

Spanish islands propose law to limit short-term via platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com to help reduce overtourism

The Canary Islands’ proposed law will limit the number of short-term lets, which have dramatically increased - a problem faced by authorities worldwide Meanwhile, a collective of groups opposed to overtourism are planning protests under the slogan ‘The Canaries have a limit’

The Canary Islands’ proposed law will limit the number of short-term lets, which have dramatically increased - a problem faced by authorities worldwide

Meanwhile, a collective of groups opposed to overtourism are planning protests under the slogan ‘The Canaries have a limit’