Spain’s Ministry for Consumer Rights has spoken out about its legal wrangle with accommodation booking giant, Airbnb, telling the Associated Press (AP) that tourism “must be conducted in a sustainable way” and “cannot jeopardize the constitutional rights of the Spanish people.”
The comments come amid an ongoing tourism boom in Spain, after record numbers of arrivals in 2024, a year in which the population of 49 million was swamped by 94 million international visitors.
The influx has sparked widespread protests about the impact of overtourism on local residents, from the Balearic Islands to Barcelona. Everything from crowding to water shortages is being blamed on tourists but one factor has raised tensions more than any other: housing.
66,000 contentious listings
According to the Bank of Spain, the country is facing a housing shortage of 450,000 homes. With landlords able to charge more to tourists than they can ask from locals, many properties have been taken off the residential market and turned instead into short-term lets. Platforms like Airbnb have made their mark by making it easy for homeowners to advertise their property to holidaymakers, even when, the Spanish government says, the rentals in question are in violation of local laws.
The situation has led Spanish authorities to demand the removal of just under 66,000 properties from Airbnb’s listings since December 2024. The properties in question have all failed to register licence numbers or do not specify who the owner of the listing is, the government claims.
“Tourism is for sure a vital part of the Spanish economy. It’s a strategic and very important sector. But as in every other economic activity, it must be conducted in a sustainable way,” Consumer Rights Minister Pablo Bustinduy told the AP. “It cannot jeopardize the constitutional rights of the Spanish people. Their right to housing, but also their right to well-being.”
Airbnb denies responsibility
Airbnb has denied responsibility for the illegal listings, saying it has no obligation to ensure they meet local rules. The firm has refused to comply with the government’s request and is appealing the order through the courts, prompting scathing words from Bustinduy:
“There is a battle going on about accountability and about responsibility,” the minister said. “The digital nature of these extraordinarily powerful multinational corporations must not be an excuse to fail to comply with democratically established regulations.”
🔴Bustinduy, tras obligar a Airbnb a retirar más de 65.000 anuncios de pisos turísticos ilegales: "Ningún interés económico debe estar por encima del derecho a la vivienda y ninguna empresa por grande y poderosa que sea puede estar por encima de la ley" https://t.co/alREpr7X39 pic.twitter.com/qabC6S6Ns0
— elDiario.es (@eldiarioes) May 27, 2025
The standoff with Airbnb is not the only consumer rights fight on Bustinduy’s hands. He is also in the midst of an ongoing dispute with so-called budget airlines over their extra charges for hand luggage – a fight in which he has now been joined by the European consumer protection group BEUC.
“The principle behind these actions is always the same: preserving consumer rights,” Bustinduy said. “Powerful corporations, no matter how large, have to adapt their business models to existing regulations.”
