Record-breaking numbers of tourists to visit Spain – but locals aren't happy
A housing crisis, marked by skyrocketing home and rental costs in cities like Madrid and Barcelona, is fueling frustration over the increase of short-term rentals.
The Spanish government is cracking down on illegal Airbnb listings in response to protests demanding action on housing affordability.
The Bank of Spain reports a deficit of 450,000 homes, with Minister Cuerpo emphasizing the need to build more public housing to address the issue.
Minister Cuerpo also addressed potential US tariffs on EU goods, stating the EU aims to strengthen economic ties with the US but will protect its firms and industries if necessary.
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Daily Mail
18 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Brits could face huge fines in Spain as resorts introduce 'sunbed tax'
British holidaymakers heading to Spain over the summer could risk hefty fines if they are caught violating strict new sunbed rules. Tourists who lay out their towels for extended periods of time face potential fines of up to €250 (£210), as a number of popular holiday hotspots begin implementing the so-called 'sunbed tax.' These rules, aimed at preventing sunbed reserving and overcrowding, vary by location but generally prohibit placing personal belongings on sunbeds before a certain time or leaving them unattended for prolonged periods. It comes as 'sunbed wars' at European resorts and hotels continue to hot up over the summer, with guests arriving hours before the pool opens to claim multiple loungers by placing towels, bags and other items on them and returning hours later. The rush to claim limited loungers has resulted in 'stampedes', heated arguments and even physical fights between frustrated guests. Hotels have since had to implement measures such as time limits for unattended towels or a parking ticket-style system to help manage numbers. Some guests have even taken legal action against hotels for failing to enforce sunbed policies, such as a German family who won a £280 payout after losing a sunbed battle at a Greek hotel in January. Popular holidays hotspots such as Costa Blanca and Barcelona are now fighting back by enforcing a sunbed tax, which can result in fines if a sunbed is reserved before a designated time, such as 9.30am. Brits heading to these areas have also been urged by travel insurance comparison site, Tiger, to think twice before laying out towels on beaches as it can incur some hefty charges. As reported by the Mirror, they said: 'In popular areas of Spain like Barcelona and Costa Blanca, tourists can now be fined €250 for reserving sunbeds, meaning waking up early to bag a spot for you and the family is no longer allowed. 'This rule was introduced following numerous complaints about sunbeds being reserved for hours with no one in sight.' In addition, council leaders in Calpe, Costa Blanca, have warned visitors that local police have been given authority to remove unattended sunbeds or towels left on beaches before 9.30am. Those caught flouting the rules will be forced to retrieve their belongings at a municipal depot - and collect a £210 fine while doing so. Holidaymakers who fail to return to a sunbed for over three hours could also face the same fate. It comes after a holidaying British couple were left furious by their hotel's alleged unfair sunlounger 'policing'. Jo and Martin travelled to the resort town of Salou, near Barcelona, Spain, hoping to spend a week relaxing in the sun. But, while staying at the four-star, £140-per-night H10 Salauris Palace, the couple ran into a spot of bother. After leaving their sunbeds for 30 minutes, they came back to find a stern warning card left on their towels. The holidaymakers were outraged as they claimed other hotel guests had left their spots unattended for several hours with no consequence. Expressing her frustration in a video clip posted on social media, Jo wrote: 'When you leave your sunbed for 30 minutes, yet others leave theirs for two plus hours and nothing gets done to them.'
Daily Mail
21 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Parents 'abandon son, 10, and leave him at Barcelona Airport because his passport had expired'
A couple abandoned their 10-year-old son at a Spanish airport to go on holiday after realising his passport had expired. The parents reportedly left their child alone at Barcelona's El Prat international airport on Wednesday and arranged for a relative to pick him up so they wouldn't miss their flight. The incident was reported by an air traffic coordinator at the airport, who made a TikTok video condemning the schoolboy's parents. According to the woman, whose video has been watched over 300,000 times on the social platform, said the child was forbidden from flying because his passport had expired and also needed a visa. But the couple's plan to make their holiday backfired after airport staff found the minor on his own and alerted the police. 'He told them that his parents were on the plane on their way to their home country, going on vacation', the air traffic controller said. The couple were then located and taken to the airport's police station where their son was. It is unclear if they were arrested. 'I'm an air traffic controller, and as a controller, I've seen a lot of things, but this has been completely surreal', the TikToker went on to say. 'I'm amazed to think how parents could possibly leave their ten-year-old son at the terminal because he can't travel due to documentation issues. They call a relative, who might take half an hour, an hour, or three hours, and they calmly board the flight and leave the child behind', she added. 'As a mother, I'm amazed'. The incident comes after a couple abandoned their baby at the check-in desk in Israel's Ben-Gurion airport before trying to board a flight to Brussels back in 2023. The pair had arrived at the airport in Tel Aviv with Belgian passports and tickets for a Ryanair flight to the Belgian capital, but did not have a boarding pass for their child. When they were told by airport staff that they couldn't board without purchasing a separate ticket, they simply left the child in its pushchair at the check-in desk and proceeded to head for the security terminal. Shocking video footage showed the moment gobsmacked airport staff noticed the lone pushchair and pulled back a blanket, exposing the abandoned baby the clip, one member of staff peels back a cover that had been draped over the pushchair, which was sat on a conveyor belt at the check-in desk. Audible gasps of surprise are heard when the staff realise a baby has been left alone in the pushchair with its parents nowhere in sight. Staff at the security check-in refused to allow the pair through, forcing them to return to collect the infant before calling the police who descended on Terminal 1 and promptly arrested them. The pair were taken in for questioning.
Reuters
a day ago
- Reuters
Cellnex's first-half core earnings rise 1.7%, net loss narrows
BARCELONA, July 31 (Reuters) - Spain's Cellnex ( opens new tab, Europe's largest mobile phone tower operator, said on Thursday its adjusted first-half core earnings rose 1.7% to 1.6 billion euros ($1.83 billion) and its net loss narrowed by more than three times from a year ago. With revenues up by about 1% at 1.94 billion euros, Cellnex also reiterated its full-year guidance, expecting revenues of between 3.95 and 4.05 billion euros, and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation of 3.275 billion to 3.375 billion euros. "The results for the first half of 2025 consolidate Cellnex's organic growth trajectory," CEO Marco Patuano said in a statement. Cellnex said organic revenues alone rose 6% in the period from a year ago. The telecoms company, which has a market capitalization of around 22 billion euros and has focused in recent years on reducing debt and improving its credit rating, still booked a net loss of 115 million euros in the first half, but swung to an operating profit of 244 million from a year-ago loss. ($1 = 0.8738 euros)
