19 Aug, 2024 @ 16:40
1 min read

Airbnb-style flats are expanding across Spain’s Malaga despite local backlash, figures show – these are the most affected neighbourhoods

How locals in Spain can block Airbnb-style flats according to new Supreme Court ruling

MALAGA is seeing an expansion of Airbnb-style flats despite backlash from locals, according to new data these are most affected areas. 

As a nationwide debate about anti-tourism sweeps Spain, tourist lets are exploding in Malaga city.

Now, new data has revealed 20% of homes in six areas are Airbnb-style tourist flats. 

Published by the Urban and Social Studies Institute (IEUS), the study showed that in some areas such as El Palo or Huelin the amount of tourist has tripled.  

READ MORE: Airbnb crackdown on Spain’s Costa del Sol: Major resort cancels 600 tourist flat licences and hikes up taxes

Airbnb crackdown in Spain continues: Major tourist region will outlaw lockboxes for collecting and returning keys
Tourist accomodation has prompted increasing backlash in Spain.
Photo: The Olive Press

In just six years, El Palo has gained 779 such flats, reaching over a thousand in total. 

Despite a 270% increase, it is not the area with the most growth. 

In fact, Huelin has seen growth of 310%, with 993 tourist lets. 

They are not the only areas of Malaga with extreme increases in tourist accommodation. 

READ MORE: Spain’s third most visited city will cut off water supply to illegal Airbnb-style apartments

Pedregalejo also deserves a special mention, with over a thousand flats increasing 244% since 2018. 

In total, Malaga has 65,794 stays registered as tourist lets. 

According to the study, which divided the city into 200×200 metre squares, there are many areas where tourist accommodation accounts for over 10% of the housing. 

For instance, 14% of El Palo residences are tourist flats, while in Huelin, this figure stands at 10%.

Montaño, Malaga centre, is the most saturated area in the city, with almost one tourist flats per five inhabitants.

READ MORE: Illegal tourist flat crackdown in Spain: Building in Mallorca made up of 12 unlicensed Airbnb-style homes is fined almost €1million

Yzabelle Bostyn

Yzabelle Bostyn is an NCTJ trained journalist who started her journalistic career at the Olive Press in 2023.
Before moving to Spain, she studied for a BA in English Literature and Hispanic Studies at the University of Sheffield.
After graduating she moved to the university’s journalism department, one of the best in the UK.
Throughout the past few years, she has taken on many roles including social media marketing, copywriting and radio presenting.
She then took a year out to travel Latin America, scaling volcanoes in Guatemala and swimming with sharks in Belize.
Then, she came to the Olive Press last year where she has honed her travel writing skills and reported on many fantastic experiences such as the Al Andalus luxury train.
She has also undertaken many investigations, looking into complex issues like Spain’s rental crisis and rising cancer rates.
Always willing to help, she has exposed many frauds and scams, working alongside victims to achieve justice.
She is most proud of her work on Nolotil, a drug linked to the deaths of many Brits in Spain.
A campaign launched by Yzabelle has received considerable support and her coverage has been by the UK and Spanish media alike.
Her writing has featured on many UK news outlets from the Sun to the Mail Online, who contracted her to report for them in Tenerife on growing tourism issues.
Recently, she has appeared on Times Radio covering deadly flooding in Valencia.

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