Portugal takes the lead in the fight against tourist accommodation

10-08-23

"It is important the model and the quality. New city models are emerging, and we have to see if this is the city model we want. A city that does not offer quality is not going to attract quality tourism, which is what brings us the most. 

This is an issue that Madrid has time to resolve with an agreement within the Madrid administration itself on the city model we want. There are many cities, such as Amsterdam or Venice, that are dying of success. We must not allow the model of life that exists in Madrid to be lost", said Gabriel Alonso, president of the Madrid Hotel Business Association, on the enormous growth in the number of tourist homes in cities, at the 1st Madrid City Tourism Forum, held in the Spanish capital at the end of March 2023. 

The meeting, which was also attended by the mayor of the Spanish capital, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, discussed in depth this situation, which is dividing the city's tourism industry, mainly around the need for regulation of this modern accommodation offer. "Of course there is a problem with tourist accommodation," said Almeida, who also stressed the need for progress in regulation. 

But this problem is not exclusive to Madrid, but has been affecting the entire European continent in recent years. Cities such as Paris or Barcelona host a multitude of these accommodations, and many of them are not registered. In Spain, for example, Tourist Homes already represent 20% of the accommodation on offer. 

Faced with this situation, the Portuguese country has decided to fight back with a particularly belligerent policy, announcing a few days ago a package of measures - corresponding to the 'More Housing' programme - to tackle the enormous growth in the number of holiday homes in Portugal. 

These measures include a ban on new tourist flats in Porto, Lisbon and certain parts of the Portuguese coast, a 15% tax on owners of tourist flats, and the granting to the owners' community of the power to suspend a licence already granted if two thirds of the community agrees. 

The programme also abolishes the granting of 'golden visas' - a measure also taken by Ireland and Spain - whereby foreigners investing in property in Portugal would obtain a residence permit in the country, which for years has influenced the price of rented accommodation. 

Although the percentage of holiday homes rented in August in Spain has dropped to some extent, the data shows that it continues to be a very popular option for tourists. These measures, however, open the door to the necessary regulation that not only the hotel sector but society as a whole has been demanding.