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The Sun
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Another 9,000 Airbnbs across Spain forced to be taken down after major holiday crackdown
THOUSANDS more Airbnbs are at risk in Spain amid a major crackdown on holiday rentals. Earlier this week, the Spanish government confirmed that more than 65,000 holiday rentals had to be removed from the Airbnb website. 2 This is because they were found to be breaching tourist regulation rules, which includes not having an official license number, or no information on the owner's status. And Catalonia Tourism has since listed another 9,000 Airbnb rentals that are illegal, according to local media, with calls for them to be taken down. This is on top of the 65,000 determined by the Spanish government. Cities in Catalonia this would affect include Barcelona, Reus and Tarragona. Miquel Sàmper, Catalan business and labor minister, said more than 10,000 illegal Airbnb listings were removed last year. The new clampdown on Airbnbs across Spain affects six regions - Madrid, Valencia, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands (affecting Majorca, Ibiza, Menorca and Formentera) and the Basque Country. A Madrid court ruling said 5,000 rentals in the city would be removed after found to be breaching the guidelines regulations. The new rules will be introduced from July 1, although Airbnb has said it will appeal the latest ruling. Brits who have booked an Airbnb this summer in Spain should check their booking before travelling. To check that the holiday rental is legal, holidaymakers can check the listing for a license number, or ask the owner of the property for it. Inside Airbnb capital of UK where fed-up locals have no neighbours The crackdown on Airbnbs in Spain isn't new, with other regions already introducing their own strict rules. Barcelona wants a total ban on holiday rentals in the city by 2028, the mayor confirmed. The city of Seville only allows 10 per cent of homes per neighbourhood to be rented out as Airbnbs. And Malaga has baned any new holiday rentals being listed for the next three years. What the new Airbnb rules mean for your Spanish holiday The Sun's Head of Travel Lisa Minot explains. THE Spanish government's latest bid to tackle protests about the lack of affordable housing and over tourism could have a big impact on Brits looking to book a holiday rental this summer. In a bid to appease locals who fear they have been priced out of the market by the rise in short-term holiday lets, the latest move could force Airbnb to remove up to 65,000 properties the government claim are violating rules. Airbnb has said it will appeal the latest ruling, handed down by a court in Madrid, which backed a government bid to remove 5,800 listings. Spain's leaders have since asked for a further 60,000 to be struck from the site across the country, despite Airbnb claiming they used 'an indiscriminate methodology' to include rentals that do not need a licence to operate. It comes as a new EU regulation, first introduced in January and coming into full force on July 1, will insist on the registration of any short-term rental. If you have booked a short term rental via Airbnb or any other booking service like this summer, then the first thing you should do is check the rental has been registered correctly. It should be clearly displayed on the listing. What is also worth noting though, is moves in other parts of the world to ban Airbnb-style rentals have not had the desired effect. New York City's 2023 Local Law 18, which restricted stays under 30 days, saw the number of listings plummet by 83per cent. But while there was a reduction in short term rentals, rents continued to rise in New York and hotel prices rocketed, with some reports indicating a rise at twice the rate of inflation. Here are some other rules in Spain to be aware of including the "£97 a day" rule. And we've rounded up some other tourist rules including football shirt bans and beach smoking bans. 2
Condé Nast Traveler
23-05-2025
- Condé Nast Traveler
15 Best Airbnbs in Spain, From Ibiza to San Sebastían
With its sparkling coastlines, bustling cities, and exceptional architecture, Spain is a true blend of tradition and modernity. There are so many reasons to visit this vibrant country—you may have studied Spanish history, seen a picture of the Barcelona skyline, drooled over a table full of tapas, or simply heard that the nightlife is unbeatable. When it comes to picking where to stay in some of Spain's top cities, picking an Airbnb over a traditional hotel can mean more personalization and privacy, and better immersion in the neighborhood. Whether you're transferring to another city or staying in Madrid, hopping off the train at Atocha Station feels like being transported back to the Renaissance. Make your way down south to the Andalusia region and you'll find yourself surrounded by Moorish architecture from Spain's period of Islamic rule. Head north to Galicia, and modern buildings juxtapose landmarked castles. To put it simply: Spain's beauty lies in its refusal to commit to one style, way of living, or architectural design. From a villa on the Costa Brava to Pablo Picasso's childhood apartment building, these Airbnbs are the ideal home bases for immersing yourself in Spain's magnetic liveliness. In an effort to alleviate its worsening housing crisis, Spain is cracking down on illegal rental listings. The cities of Barcelona, Madrid, and Málaga are the most affected. In May 2025, the Spanish government called for the removal of nearly 66,000 Airbnbs, noting that the short-term rentals breached regulations for tourist accommodations, which require an Airbnb to have a registration number. The Airbnbs listed in this story all provide a registration number. Our top picks: We've vetted these listings based on Superhost status, ratings, amenities, location, previous guest reviews, and decor.
CNA
22-05-2025
- CNA
Commentary: Spain power outage is a case study for countries switching to clean energy
SINGPORE: On Apr 28, swaths of Spain and Portugal suffered a power outage that ground life to a standstill. The blackout knocked out communication and transport systems, shut down industries and halted commercial services. Power was only restored ten hours later. The Spanish government ruled out the possibility of a cyberattack on its national power grid. After preliminary investigations, it found that a sudden loss of power generation at a Granada substation triggered the blackout. Efforts to determine the events leading to the blackout are ongoing, but experts have alluded to grid instabilities arising from the Iberian Peninsula's reliance on renewable energy. GRID INSTABILITY FROM RENEWABLES Spain's push towards green energy has led to an ambitious phase-out of fossil fuel as well as nuclear power plants. As of 2024, the nation generates almost 60 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources - wind, solar and hydropower. By drawing power from different resources, particularly households running solar power, the grid becomes less robust. In the week leading up to the blackout, Spain's electricity grid had experienced several imbalances. A few minutes prior to the power outage, data showed the grid experienced a surge in wind power supplies. Hence, other resources such as nuclear, hydropower and solar were reduced to even out the supply to the grid, thereby optimising the cost of electricity produced in the market. It was tracked that the smart grid system blocked out a significant supply of solar power due to the increase in wind power. Data showed that the sharp decline in solar power, from 18 gigawatts to 8 gigawatts in just a few seconds, could have caused the grid to become unstable and collapse. Although the management of electricity from different resources happens daily, fluctuations in the grid are usually moderated with baseload power, which could come in the form of fossil fuels, nuclear or hydropower. Thermo- or hydro-turbines would have the 'inertia' to produce electricity for a few minutes even if power from these resources have been cut off – an important characteristic of baseload power. Solar power does not utilise turbines but rather relies on electric converters to transform direct current into alternating current, which is subsequently fed into the grid. Moments before the blackout occurred, Spain was running on 60 per cent solar power. The sudden switch from solar to wind power could have tripped the threshold of the grid frequency. DECARBONISATION IS KEY, BUT BASELOAD POWER REMAINS CRITICAL Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said excess renewables were not to be blamed for the blackout. He pointed out that street lamps and traffic lights running on solar panels were still operating during the power outage. Households and businesses with solar panels and backup battery storages were also unaffected. Indeed, these households and businesses survived the power outage because their solar panels were off-grid. While Spain can be commended in its effort to decarbonise its power sector through the diversification of clean energy resources, its reliance on intermittent solar and wind power requires rigorous management to make the grid network less prone to instabilities. Baseload power is critical in making the grids more resilient. Unlike solar, nuclear is a stable source of energy that can be used as a baseload power supply. Mr Sanchez said that there was no evidence to show that nuclear power could have prevented a blackout or quickened the restoration of power supply. Four nuclear plants went offline during the outage. He accused nuclear power advocates of using the outage to lobby for the energy source – which while clean, is not renewable and produces radioactive waste. However, a country's national grid will be vulnerable to power outages if it does not have the capacity for baseload power generation. The decision to turn off baseload nuclear power and feed in renewables is because Spain's grid has been optimised so that electricity from renewables is cheaper than nuclear, particularly during seasons when there are excessive solar or wind power. Spain can have a fully clean source of electricity production by including nuclear in its energy mix. The key consideration is baseload power generation, which is a feature of power stability rather than economic viability. Norway, for instance, relies predominantly on renewable energy for electricity production. More than 95 per cent of its electricity generated comes from hydropower – a renewable source that can also serve as a form of baseload power. Spain's decision to phase out nuclear power by 2027 is as controversial as Germany's decision to shut down its nuclear power plants. Germany's phase-out of nuclear power has increased its dependence on coal and natural gas as a baseload power needed for critical infrastructure and industries, which ironically leads to an increase in carbon emissions. Several European countries have since made a U-turn on their nuclear phase-out plans. In 2023, Sweden revived its plan to build new nuclear plants after decades of nuclear abandonment. Italy signalled it will reverse its ban on nuclear power in 2025, while Belgium recently repealed a law to scrap nuclear energy, citing it as imperative for energy independence and decarbonisation. LESSONS FOR ASEAN Presently, Southeast Asia does not have any operating nuclear plants to produce clean energy. The ASEAN power grid, long in the making, will allow countries to trade green electricity with each other. Presently, there are 13 established links out of 27 planned ones, generating about 5 gigawatts of electricity. The electricity that feeds into the ASEAN power grid will primarily be produced from renewable sources in the region. The recent blackout in Spain shows how an overreliance on solar and wind power can lead to grid instabilities. Hence, the adoption of nuclear energy in the future can enhance regional energy security and add resilience to the common grid serving Southeast Asia.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Historic Spanish French Quarter tiles to be revamped through new program
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Residents and visitors of the French Quarter would not know which way to walk if it were not for the street name tiles around them. Officials with The French Quarter Management District have partnered with The Vieux Carre' Commission to announce the Spanish Tile Replacement Program. New Pope Leo T-shirts honoring his New Orleans roots The program is a gift to the City of New Orleans from the Ambassador of Spain to the United States, Angeles Moreno Bau. She will also fund the program. During the program, the Spanish-era broken and missing ceramic street tiles will either be repaired or replaced outside of several French Quarter properties. As written in history, the original 126 tiles were a gift from the Spanish Government in 1959 and installed under the guidance of the Vieux Carré Commission between 1959 and 1961. They are markers used to commemorate the original Spanish names of streets in the Vieux Carré. PHOTOS: Sunday Funday at Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo 'The Spanish Tile Replacement Program is an example of the work we do every day to make the French Quarter a better place to live, work and visit. Thanks to the generosity of Ambassador Bau and the good work of the Vieux Carre Commission, the French Quarter is about to become even more beautiful than it already is,' said FQMD Executive Director Michelle Courseault. Property owners must apply for the program by May 30 via the OneStop App. Anyone with question or in need of application assistance can email Maddie Charleston at maddiecharleston504@ aliens found inside altered hay bales No Tax on Tips Act: What to know about the bill and what comes next Five overdose deaths show fentanyl becoming Mexico's problem, too Can you decline to have your photo taken at a TSA checkpoint? Ultimate NOLA Golf Experience 2025 Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Reuters
21-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Swiss price watchdog orders Booking.com to lower prices
ZURICH, May 21 (Reuters) - Switzerland's price watchdog has ordered (BKNG.O), opens new tab to lower its prices in the country, finding that the online travel agency's commission rates for hotels are "abusively high," the supervisory body said on Wednesday. In accordance with the order, must reduce its commission rates for Swiss hotels by almost a quarter, the watchdog said in a statement. vowed to appeal the decision and said its rates would not change until the appeal process was resolved. "We don't agree with a forced reduction in the cost of a product that is entirely optional," it said in a statement. The Swiss watchdog said the cost reduction must be implemented three months after the ruling becomes legally binding, and would remain in effect for three years. Earlier this week the Spanish government ordered Airbnb (ABNB.O), opens new tab to withdraw over 65,000 listings for holiday rentals which it said violated existing rules from its platform. The step was part of a broader Spanish crackdown on tourism rentals via sites such as Airbnb and which critics blame for contributing to a housing crisis in the country.
