Spain isn’t banning tourism, but new short-term rental laws in cities like Barcelona and Malaga may limit vacation rentals and raise accommodation costs.
Last year, a record 94 million tourists visited Spain, the Associated Press reported. But locals complained that the surge in visitors to the European country led to overcrowding and a lack of affordable housing. Several anti-tourism protests took place throughout Spain last year.
Now, news headlines and social posts claim Spain initiated a tourist ban. “Spain tourist ban: British holidaymakers set to suffer under THREE YEARS of new restrictions,” one of the headlines says.
Google Trends also shows people are searching about a tourist ban in Spain.
THE QUESTION
Is Spain banning tourists?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
No, Spain is not banning tourists.
WHAT WE FOUND
Spain is not banning tourism, but the country is taking steps to address overcrowding and the affordable housing crisis by introducing new initiatives related to short-term rental properties. …