Editorial: El Mundo

• Barcelona's mayor, Jaume Collboni, announced a plan to phase out all tourist apartments over a five-year period.
• The plan aims to address the issue of housing accessibility and neighborhood degradation.
• It is expected that the licenses that expire will be used for regular residential rentals.
• Banning tourist apartments is a controversial measure with uncertain results, as evidenced by the case of New York.
• Tourism, essential for the Spanish economy, requires clear regulation for its sustainability and quality.
• Several cities such as Madrid, Valencia, and Palma are already responding to the proliferation of tourist apartments.
• Limitations on these will not work without inspections and control of the black market.
• Restricting tourist flats will not solve the problem of housing access alone, increasing the supply is needed.
• According to data from the Bank of Spain, two out of five tenants already allocate more than 40% of their income to rent.

Conclusion: It is necessary to develop clear regulations that balance the economic need for tourism, while increasing the supply of housing and ensuring the quality of neighborhoods.

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