Spain introduces three-year ban for tourists as controls introduced in 43 areas
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The Costa del Sol has become Spain's latest holiday hotspot to introduce a major curb on mass tourism. Some 43 areas in one of the country's most visited resorts are tightening controls in the wake of major protests from locals in popular spots over the impact of overtourism. Discontent has been growing among permanent residents for a while over issues such as housing shortages and the environment.
It's led to dozens of authorities in popular resorts bringing in a ban on new holiday rentals being registered. The veto is currently in place in 43 districts of Costa del Sol's capital, Malaga city - an area famed for its popularity with British tourists.
Officials in the city approved the measures in December, which came into effect on Tuesday. They're due to stay in place for three years, putting a cap on the amount of accommodation available for tourists, although it's expected it will be extended. It followed a recent study which discovered that, in some areas, nearly one in 10 (8%) family homes in these areas were taken up by holiday rentals. It's hoped the drastic measures will significantly halt the growth of holiday rentals in the city.
Now no new tourist accommodation can be registered in 43 most crowded areas of the city, including the historic centre, El Ejido, La Merced and dozens more districts. It's thought neighbouring countries France and Portugal could also follow suit if the scheme proves successful, with concerns among their populations too over mass tourism.
Malaga however is far from the only place in Spain with growing disharmony towards tourists. Locals in Barcelona last year took to spraying visitors with water guns out of fury, while residents in Palma, Majorca, staged a large protest last summer over tourism, with calls to slash the number of holiday beds by 40%.
