Barcelona Revokes 10,000 Tourist Flat Licenses by 2028 as 26 Million Visitors Strain the City
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 18
Barcelona Revokes 10,000 Tourist Flat Licenses by 2028 as 26 Million Visitors Strain the City
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 18
Barcelona will scrap all 10,000 legal tourist apartment licenses in 2028 and ban takeaway snacks at La Boquería within a year, part of a broader push to curb overtourism.
José Antonio Donaire, the city’s new sustainable tourism commissioner, said Barcelona has reached the maximum number of visitors it can absorb and now wants to manage tourism rather than grow it.
City Hall hopes most former tourist flats return to the rental market, where they would equal about five years of housing growth at the current pace of 2,000 homes annually.
The strategy also targets visitor mix and behavior: cruise berths will fall from seven to five, pub crawls are being banned, and repeat visitors will be steered beyond the most crowded central areas.
Barcelona drew 26 million visitors last year, including more than 3 million cruise passengers and 7 million day trippers, underscoring how mass tourism has reshaped housing, retail and public space.
Can a city successfully choose its tourists, swapping cruise trippers for cultural visitors through policy alone?
As Barcelona phases out 10,000 tourist rentals, is it pioneering a sustainable urban model or risking its economic future?
Barcelona’s 2028 Deadline: Eliminating 10,101 Tourist Flats to Combat Housing Crisis and Overtourism
Overview
Barcelona will ban all tourist apartment rentals by November 2028, expiring 10,101 existing licenses and removing short-term rental properties from the market. This bold move, led by Mayor Jaume Collboni, is backed by a 2023 Catalonian law that gives cities the power to regulate and eliminate tourist rental permits. The decision follows a decade of increasing regulations, starting with a freeze on new licenses in 2014, as the city aims to address its severe housing crisis and reclaim homes for residents. This comprehensive policy marks a major shift in Barcelona’s approach to balancing tourism and local housing needs.