New measures to deal with extreme tourism on certainly one of Spain’s hottest locations may have a “minimal” impression on travellers, a Spanish tourism official has instructed Yahoo Information.

Officers in Malaga on the busy Costa del Sol within the south of the nation have launched a ban on new vacation leases being registered in dozens of areas within the metropolis in a bid to handle overcrowding and the more and more unaffordable value of housing.

The transfer comes after a extreme backlash throughout the entire of Spain and its islands in opposition to mass tourism, with British travellers chief amongst these focused by widespread protests.

Yahoo Information UK examines the newest regulation and what impression it might have on British vacationers.

What’s the new measure?

The brand new laws was launched within the metropolis of Malaga on the Costa del Sol, a massively standard vacationer vacation spot for Britons.

On 14 January, a brand new regulation got here into impact that bans the registration of latest vacation leases throughout 43 of the town’s districts.

The ban will likely be in place for 3 years and targets anybody wishing to hire out a property to vacationers. If profitable, it’s seemingly it will likely be prolonged past the three-year interval.

In accordance with the AFP information company, the town (which has a inhabitants of lower than 600,000) has round 11,500 registered vacation flats whereas short-term vacation leases make up 65% of whole vacationer lodging within the centre of the town.

The measure will goal areas together with the previous city and Playa del Palo, with AFP reporting a metropolis assertion from November saying to plan was to attempt to encourage vacationers flats to be arrange “in neighbourhoods with much less vacationer stress”.

How will it have an effect on British vacationers?

Though wrongly dubbed a “vacationer ban” by some, the brand new laws doesn’t cease guests going to Spain and is as a substitute geared toward these attempting to hire out properties to vacationers.

Which means that British vacationers can nonetheless guide Airbnbs, lodges and different lodging throughout Malaga, the place there are about 13,000 vacation leases.

Manuel Butler, director of the Spanish Vacationer Workplace in London, instructed Yahoo Information UK: “We worth the constructive impression that British vacationers have on Spain and the brand new measures on vacation leases, put in place by the Malaga Metropolis Council, may have minimal impression of travellers because it solely impacts future registration of properties.

“The brand new guidelines will make sure the preservation of the town’s cultural heritage, high quality of life for its residents, while additionally persevering with to welcome British vacationers to go to this iconic a part of Spain.”

Why has the ban on new vacation leases been launched?

Malaga has imposed the regulation to cease extra extremely priced lets showing in its vacationer hotspots.

In some areas of the town, 8% of household houses are taken up by vacation leases, and officers are decided to behave to stop pricing native individuals out of the housing market.

It is not the one measure launched in Malaga to clamp down on vacation lets – a separate ruling final summer time means vacationers flats registered since February 2022 that do not need impartial entry and separate sources from the residential a part of a constructing may have their licences revoked.

Is Malaga the one place in Spain to ban vacation lets?

No. Alicante, which is equally standard with Britons, launched its personal ban on new vacation lettings originally of January, which is about to final for 2 years.

Madrid introduced the same ban final April, which is in impact till the top of the primary quarter of this yr.

In Barcelona, the licences of some 10,000 short-term rental flats will likely be scrapped, because it seeks to ban condo leases to vacationers by 2028, having not granted any new licences since 2014.

What about vacationer taxes?

Some locations in Spain have elevated their vacationer taxes – in Barcelona, guests should pay €4 (£3.3) per night time as much as seven nights, a pointy rise from €2.75 per night time this time final yr.

From this month, guests to the coastal city of Mogan within the Canary Islands should pay a vacationer tax of 15 cents per day – it would fund public companies impacted by tourism and initiatives that maintain the realm’s pure magnificence.

What else do British vacationers must know?

British vacationers should additionally cope with extra paperwork when visiting Spain, underneath measures launched by the nation’s inside ministry final yr.

When staying in a resort or hiring a automobile, vacationers should give extra detailed private data, together with financial institution card particulars, household relationships and their dwelling handle.

The measure was launched to assist Spanish police monitor suspected criminals working within the nation.

What in regards to the 100% tax on shopping for properties?

Earlier this month, Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez proposed a 100% tax on the acquisition of properties in vacationer hotspots.

The tax could be value as much as 100% of the worth of properties being purchased by non-EU residents, together with these from the UK, who usually are not legally Spanish residents.

Sanchez mentioned non-EU residents purchased 27,000 properties in Spain in 2023 “to generate income from them”.

There isn’t a timeline for the proposal and it’s unclear if Sanchez’s minority authorities would be capable to get it via Spain’s parliament.