As New York, Amsterdam and Berlin have already done, the Canary Islands will regulate holiday rentals in a bid to solve the “housing shortage problem” experienced by many island workers, while also “protecting small property owners” who generate such income. They get some of their income from tourism. This was announced in his announcement on Wednesday. Participation in the general assembly of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Canary Islands Minister of Tourism and Employment Jéssica de León confirmed that the Archipelago will follow in the footsteps of the Balearic Islands, which was a pioneer in creating regulations in Spain to regulate holiday rentals, and will prepare its own law in 2017. this is the legislature.
Holiday rentals in the Canary Islands are currently regulated by decree 113/2015 of 22 May; This decision was influenced by various decisions limiting it in relation to the establishment of tourist areas and the rental of rooms. Apart from these legal issues, Leon recalls that the content of the decree was “very limited” and incorporated them into the regulation of tourism in the non-hotel modality, considering “only the requirements that these houses must meet”.
According to the consultant, the decree was not accompanied by any planning, neither touristic, urban nor regional. And no quantitative restrictions were imposed on the tourist use of houses that were initially designed by urban planning as conventional residences. Faced with these legal gaps, the Canary Islands Administration found support from all political forces yesterday and stated in the plenary session that a new regulatory framework for holiday homes is needed.
Regarding how the draft legal text will be prepared, the Ministry of Tourism stated the following: a working commission At the event attended by seven councils, regional and municipal public administrations, sector experts, representatives of universities and professional associations will come together in Gran Canaria today to discuss different aspects of tourist rental.
One of the problems with holiday homes is that they have grown exponentially by 10% in recent years after the pandemic. According to data from the National Institute of Statistics, there were approximately 43,000 homes on the holiday rental market in the Canary Islands in 2022. These houses represent a total of 175,000 beds, accounting for 33% of the Archipelago’s tourist offer.
The Canary Islands are the autonomous region with the most tourist apartments after the Balearic Islands. The most worrying situation is in La Oliva, where 30.7 percent of the houses are for tourist use, but there are also concerns Yaiza with 17%Adeje has 14%, Hermigua has 13%, Puntagorda and San Bartolomé de Tirajana have 12%.
Among the most repeated criticisms of “liberalised” holiday lettings at the plenary session was its detrimental impact on the housing market. As Natalia Santana of Nueva Canarias noted yesterday, tourists “cause neighborhoods to lose their identity, destroy the social fabric, and displace populations.” Additionally, Vox’s Paula Jover added that city centers “should not be affected by noise or dirt” from holiday rentals.
Groups also do not want capacity to be limited Municipalities have very little maneuverability, especially since, as CC MP José Manuel Bermúdez explained, “they are the ones who know best which areas are most tense.” Additionally, the Herreña Independiente Group requested consideration of the Green Islands (La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro), where the tourism model prioritizes holiday rental over other methods.