Latest news with #ZBE
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Yahoo
Spanish holiday hotspot bans hire vehicles from town centre
A popular Spanish holiday town has implemented a new low-emission zone that will see hire cars banned ahead of the busy tourist season. Sóller, a picturesque town on the island of Majorca, has decided to introduce 'La Zona de Bajas Emisiones' (ZBE), which the local authority hopes will curb congestion in the busy town centre during the peak summer months. The zone, which will become active in March 2025, will restrict traffic in the centre of the municipality, allowing only vehicles belonging to residents and services. Visitors driving non-registered vehicles, such as hire cars, will be asked to park in newly-created parking spaces, on the edge of the historic town centre. The 70 hectare zone has been created following concerns by local residents, who had aired their views in a public consultation in October 2024. Sóller City Council says that the measures acknowledge the 'difficulties that citizens face with traffic in the municipality'. The Balearic island's administrative capital, Palma, had protests last year that saw locals expressing concerns about over-tourism on one of the Mediterranean's busiest tourist hotspots. Tourism generates roughly 45% of Majorca's GDP, with 12.5 million tourists visiting the island, which has an estimated 1,232,014 residents. Spain saw a wave of anti-tourism sentiment in 2024, with many local authorities taking measures to tackle over-tourism. YouGov data released last year showed that in a poll of seven European countries, Spain's residents felt most strongly about mass tourism, with 32 percent of respondents saying there were now too many foreign travellers in their area. Sóller council's news rules specifically target drivers, in what is a small town of just 13,860 people, hoping to improve the mobility of local residents and combat environmental damage caused by mass tourism. But on the island and around Spain, locals have sited concerns over rising living costs and housing shortages from the influx of tourists, which has seen a rise in the cost of everyday goods and housing. Local frustration led to demonstrations last year in Palma, with protesters holding placards declaring 'Your paradise, our nightmare' and 'Tourism yes - but not this much'. The protests were arranged by about 80 organisations concerned with mass tourism, with an estimated 20,000 demonstrators attending – many of them stating that housing on the island had become unaffordable. In February this year, a defaced Osborne Bull, situated between Algaida and Montuïri, on Mallorca, appeared with the words 'Rich foreign property buyers go to hell' emblazoned on its torso. Many Spaniards have accused the short-term holiday rentals sector of removing accommodation from the local residential market and inflating rents. As travellers prepare for their Spanish summer holidays, they have been warned to be prepared to meet new rules around entry into the country. Travellers from the UK, the US and some other countries will be required to apply for Etias (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) before travelling to Spain or any other country in the Schengen zone, even for a short stay. The rules, expected be implemented in the second half of 2025, will mean travellers visiting any of the 29 Schengen countries or Cyprus must apply online or via an app and pay up to €7 (£6). The Etias travel authorisation will be valid for up to three years, unless your passport expires, and children under 18 and travellers over 70 will not be charged but will still have to apply. The EU's Entry and Exit System (EES) is also set to launch in 2025, which means visitors are likely to notice changes, and possible delays, on arrival and exit to Spain. The EES, which will be gradually implemented this year, will register visa-free and visa-required travellers entering Europe for a short stay. No action will be required from travellers ahead of their trip, as registration will be done at the external border. Regionally, tourist taxes are set to rise in some popular Spanish destinations including Galicia, Tenerife, Alicante, and Seville will see an increase in the tax, with Catalonia doubling theirs. A new registration system, implemented by the Spanish government, also requires hotels, travel agencies and car rental companies to collect up to 42 pieces of personal information per guest. The new rules came into force in December 2024 and require hotels to gather extensive personal data from tourists, including family information, bank card details and addresses, which can be passed on to security services. The rules, expected to be the most stringent in the EU, mean extra time and information may be required at check in times, with big penalties possible for hotels that do not comply. Read more: Disturbing public message in tourist hotspot highlights worrying new trend Barcelona to raise tourist tax for cruise passengers
Local Spain
25-02-2025
- Business
- Local Spain
Spain's Valencia to fine illegal tourist apartments up to €600,000
Tourism Valencia city council is taking further steps to try and control the number of illegal tourist apartments in the Mediterranean city, with a severe new sanctioning regime soon set to come into force. Valencia council will soon be able to impose fines of up to €600,000 on illegal tourist apartments in the coastal city. A plenary session held this week will see a vote on delegated powers from the regional government, as outlined in the Law on Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality for the Valencian Community, local media reports. The bolstered powers will allow the council to initiate, investigate and resolve sanctioning procedures for tourist housing in the city, and adhere to the framework agreement between the regional government and the Valencian Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FVMP). The fines will be severe and range from €10,000 all the way up to €600,000 for more serious offences. This follows previous steps by local authorities to limit tourist rental accommodation in the city. In June 2024 the council approved plans to crackdown on the use of residential properties as tourist housing in the historic centre, known as the Ciutat Vella or 'old town'. Previously it announced that it would also for a year, with the possibility to extend the measure, as average rents surged past €1,000 in the city. In early 2025, the council took further steps to restrict illegal holiday lets in the regional capital, with plans to limit short-term tourist rentals to just 2 percent of residential properties per neighbourhood. For those neighbourhoods where the 2 percent figure has already been exceeded, such as in Ciutat Vella or El Cabanyal, popular tourist destinations, there will be a total ban on new tourist rentals. The upcoming plenary session is also expected to move forward with plans for the city's Low Emission Zone (known as ZBE in Spanish) which will still have to go through a so-called 'citizen security commission' before being implemented. The ZBE will be accompanied by a series of measures to promote sustainable forms of transport, including a free temporary transport pass for commuters and car owners affected by the restrictions who don't buy another one during the validity period. See Also
