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Booking.com deletes 4,000+ listings amid Spain's rental crackdown
Spain's tourism growth has supported the national economy but has also raised concerns over housing availability and affordability, issues that remain a key focus for the current coalition government. read more
A general view shows tourists dance inside a discotheque near Playa d'en Bossa beach, during a housing crisis that many locals blame on overtourism in Ibiza, Spain. Reuters
Booking.com, a major online hotel booking platform, announced on Friday that it had removed thousands of listings in Spain following a request from the country's consumer ministry. The move comes as part of the government's ongoing efforts to regulate short-term tourist rentals.
Spain's tourism growth has supported the national economy but has also raised concerns over housing availability and affordability, issues that remain a key focus for the current coalition government.
In a statement, Booking.com said it had taken down a limited number of listings for not providing valid licences, as requested by the ministry.
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The Amsterdam-based company noted that the removed listings accounted for 'less than two percent' of its 200,000 properties in Spain, and emphasized its continued cooperation with authorities to regulate the sector.
On Thursday, the consumer rights ministry reported that 4,093 non-compliant listings had been removed, with most located in the Canary Islands, a popular tourist region.
Spain has also ordered online tourist accommodation giant Airbnb to take down more than 65,000 adverts for violating licence rules and has been in a legal battle with the US-based company.
The world's second most-visited country hosted a record 94 million foreign tourists in 2024, but residents of hotspots such as Barcelona blame short-term rentals for the housing crisis and changing their neighbourhoods.
'We're making progress in the fight against a speculative model that expels people from their neighbourhoods and violates the right to a home,' far-left consumer rights minister Pablo Bustinduy wrote on social network Bluesky.
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