Spain’s Balearic Islands have begun a crackdown on the growing private holiday rentals sector as anti-tourism protesters in Spain threaten more disruption.
An attack on a tourist coach carrying Brits in Barcelona last week and a protest in Palma, Mallorca, were described as isolated incidents.
But groups behind the attacks have threatened to carry out more ahead of a planned demonstration by Basque separatist group Ernai on August 17 in San Sebastian.
Pilar Carbonell Raya, Balearic tourism general director, told Radio 4’s Today programme that rental accommodation in the unregulated peer-to-peer market was a problem.
She said the issue was so acute in holiday hotspots such as Palma and Ibiza that locals and seasonal workers were being priced out of the housing market.
On Tuesday, new licensing rules came in that aim to limit the number of private rental beds in the Balearics – advertised through the likes of Airbnb – and to confine them to tourist areas.
Raya added: “Tourism has grown and grown over the years and maybe there is something we have done wrong.”
Mark Tanzer, chief executive of Abta, stressed anti-tourism protests were isolated but said there was an issue with numbers because it was impossible to cap capacity in the sharing economy.
“There are indications of pressures building,” he said. “If we simply ignore them, in certain areas there will be problems in the future.
“Tourism brings economic benefits, particularly in some areas where there is no other economic base. You do not want to lose that.”
He called on governments to balance the positive impact of tourism with the negative, and to “manage for value rather than just volume”.
“A lot of tourism ministers just want international arrivals to go up,” said Tanzer. “But that should not be the end in itself; it should be the value of tourism.”
Tom Jenkins, executive director of the European Tour Operators Association, played down the significance of the latest protests saying there were politically motivated and nothing new.
“At one level we are keen to help address any problems but at another level you have to sit down and question what some of these anti-tourism protestors are saying.
“All industry causes disruption. Every aspect of the service economy competes for some one’s attention and time. You cannot create demand, and then be shocked when the supply is affected.
“Boom destinations that feel they are suffering should try being a non-boom destination. It’s questionable what the motives are of these anti-tourism protestors. Many of the issues they raise are the same as people who are anti-migrant. It can look very much like a form of xenophobia.
“What can travel companies do? I think we should shout more loudly about the benign impact that we have as a sector. People arriving in destinations and cities and spending money is, in broad terms, a good thing.
“There are some areas where there are some real problems. But these need to be addressed by local planning.”
Jenkins said even the objections about Airbnb and the sharing economy are nothing new and echo how hotels have complained about the B&B sector long before the rise of the peer-to-peer rentals site. “What is new is that customers have become genuinely empowered,” said Jenkins.
In a statement Abta said: “Tourism is of immense economic benefit to European destinations and has become even more important in recent years.
“Most people appreciate these benefits and accept that at certain times of year they will have to share their cities with significant numbers of tourists from around the world.
“Historically, hotels and other accommodation providers were licensed and regulated, which helped local authorities to understand the volume and nature of visitors coming into their cities.
“The rapid growth of the peer to peer economy in recent years has led to significant increases in visitors to some cities, but due to the lack of licensing and regulation in this sector, it is impossible to fully understand tourism numbers.
“We need mechanisms in place to manage numbers in crowded destinations, for the benefit of holidaymakers, destination residents and the travel industry.
“Logically, these measures would need to take account of both hotel visitors, and peer to peer accommodation users.”
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