International short-term rental platform Airbnb has called on the mayor of Barcelona to reconsider the extension of the measure to limit short-term rentals, arguing that they benefit the hotel industry while overtourism and the housing crisis are not addressed.

“The only winner from Barcelona’s war on short-term rentals is the hotel industry,” Airbnb’s head of policy for Spain and Portugal, Sara Rodriguez, said in a letter to Mayor Jaume Colboni over the weekend.

Barcelona City Hall did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In June, Colboni announced a plan to shut down all short-term rentals by 2028 to limit rent increases for city residents.

This measure has been challenged in the courts.

What does the letter say?

In its letter, Airbnb argued that none of Barcelona’s previous measures, which have imposed strict restrictions on new tourist accommodation permits in the city center since 2014, have proven effective.

“A decade later, official figures show that while short-term rentals have declined, challenges related to housing and over-tourism are worse than ever,” it said.

The letter cites official figures showing that long-term rentals have risen by more than 70% and the average price of a hotel room by at least 60% even as the number of short-term rentals halved to 8,842 last year from 2020 levels.

Meanwhile, the letter argued, Spain has built fewer homes in the past decade than at any time since the 1970s despite a surge in demand, citing official figures that show empty homes outnumber short-term rentals in Barcelona. by eight to one.

“Policies that address this issue of vacant housing are more likely to increase the availability of affordable housing than restrictions on Airbnb,” the company noted, adding that since 2018 it has removed more than 7,000 listings from its platform in Barcelona.

While Colboni has said he will maintain the ban on building new hotels in the city center, he wants more hotel availability elsewhere in Barcelona.

Exceltur, the association made up of Spain’s largest tourism businesses (major hotel chains, travel agents, tour operators and airlines) is seeking strict regulation of short-term rental companies from 2022, calling the boom in short-term housing “uncontrollable” lease in Spanish cities.

And other Spanish cities, such as Madrid and Málaga, imposed restrictions on this type of lease this year.