I am an european resident and home owner in Spain and living here full time (I’ve moved here with my family around 5 years ago) and I agree with its citizens. Vacation homes have been a nuisance on peoples lives for a whole now for multiple reasons:
Airbnbs are atrocious to communities and to people who actually live there full time ( even if community laws exists and ate voted for by the majority of owners, others simply don’t respect them)
Lots of tourists are notoriously known for not giving a fuck about anyone or anything and having a bratty behavior toward everyone else.
Because of point 1 low to middle class spaniards can barely -or simply not- afford homes anymore.
Far right extremism is growing because of government not being able to handle outside EU immigration properly and basically everyone who doesn’t share the same values, just segregate themselves into ethnic groups, making it harder for both sides to mingle.
I’ve seen it with my own eyes how, when a place raises in notoriety, it also raises in unlawful behavior by attracting pickpockets or other unlawful behavior or simply squatters, who are historically a huge pain on everyone( okupas)
All of the above is ofc IMO and subjected to dispute, but this is a general feeling among a lot of people.
Last time I was in Spain this wasn’t even a thing yet the problem already existed.
But where I live now I have experienced it first hand: I wanted to live in this picturesque village, but Airbnb Tourism has pushed rents to the point that they’re just as expensive as in the capital, and I had to move 1 village over where they’re half that. Consequently there’s fewer true villagers and more and more visitors and actually living in that village is more and more defined by wealth.
I am an european resident and home owner in Spain and living here full time (I’ve moved here with my family around 5 years ago) and I agree with its citizens. Vacation homes have been a nuisance on peoples lives for a whole now for multiple reasons:
All of the above is ofc IMO and subjected to dispute, but this is a general feeling among a lot of people.
Last time I was in Spain this wasn’t even a thing yet the problem already existed.
But where I live now I have experienced it first hand: I wanted to live in this picturesque village, but Airbnb Tourism has pushed rents to the point that they’re just as expensive as in the capital, and I had to move 1 village over where they’re half that. Consequently there’s fewer true villagers and more and more visitors and actually living in that village is more and more defined by wealth.