IT COULD soon become impossible to bag cheap accommodation in Spanish hot spots such as Majorca and Ibiza due to new laws.
The potential price increase is a result of an accommodation shortage in the Balearic Islands.
This has led policymakers in the area to put a ban on new holiday rentals and convert hotels into social housing.
The actions are fueled by the rise of homestays, which has pushed up the cost of renting across the country.
This is especially the case in popular destinations in the Balearic Islands, which is making it difficult for Spanish locals to afford to live there.
The socialist president of the Balearics, Francina Armengol, announced the proposed measures to curb the tourism boom on Wednesday, and pledged to prevent the opening of any new tourism accommodation, which was part of a tourist law passed in 2022.
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She also promised there would be no further growth in tourist accommodation in the British holiday favourites of Majorca, Ibiza and Menorca.
In an interview with Expansion, she added that they would help the Spanish region deal with its current housing crisis.
"We propose zero growth in tourist, hotel and vacation rental places, maintaining the ban on vacation rentals in multi-family homes and fight against illegal offers of accommodation," she said.
"We want to start buying obsolete one- and two-star hotels to eliminate them or convert them into officially protected housing."
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Its thought that the move will inevitably push up the prices of accommodation, making it difficult for tourists to find cheap holiday accommodation.
Yasmin Pekel, Travel Expert at Blue Cruise, told the Sun Online said the pledge is likely to cause a "multitude of problems" in the tourist hotspot.
"Not only will tourists experience skyrocketing accommodation costs, but this could subsequently cause visitors to choose other prime destinations," she said.
"The direct consequence of this will be less investment in the local economy due to fewer people visiting – although residents are likely to rejoice, with more rental opportunities and a decrease in noise level."
According to data from Tourism Movements at Borders and the Tourism Spending Survey, 13.2 million foreign tourists visited the Balearic Islands last year.
Over a quarter of those (3.4 million) were from the UK.
If you're still keen on a Spanish holiday, here are some of the best all-inclusive deals for this summer.
And while hotels may be going up in price, Spanish flights could soon get cheaper.
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