The mayor of Barcelona, Spain, has pledged to abolish short-term tourist permits in the city within five years.
Socialist Jaume Collboni told a news conference that there were no plans to renew the 10,101 tourist permits granted to landlords when they expire in November 2028.
Mr Collboni said apartments currently advertised on platforms such as Airbnb and Homeaway would instead be offered to local residents.
Politicians opposing the move accused him of violating property rights.
Mr Colboni said the move would be “equivalent to building 10,000 new homes”.
Justifying the plan, he said rents had risen 70 per cent in the past decade and had become unaffordable.
He added: “More housing supply is needed and the measures we are setting out today are aimed at providing more supply.”
Barcelona has struggled with limited housing supply for many years.
Politicians blame high rates of tourism and the city’s growing status as a technology hub attracting foreign workers.
Prices are rising as new buildings cannot keep up with increasing demand.
In response to Mr Colboni’s announcement, some left-wing lawmakers said 2028 was too far in the future for people now being forced out of the cities.
Janet Sanz asked, “Can we wait until 2028?”
Right-wing politicians have accused Mr. Colboni of violating property rights.
“Barcelona’s city council cannot resemble the Bolivarian regime,” Dani Sirera, leader of the Barcelona People’s Party, wrote, referring to the Venezuelan government, which has been accused of confiscating property.
The Barcelona Tourist Apartments Association said the changes would result in apartments being rented illegally to tourists.
It added that the policy was a “smokescreen” for Mr Colboni’s housing policy failures.
Thousands have protested in parts of Spain, including the Canary Islands, in recent months, claiming mass tourism is destroying the environment and driving out locals.
