BARCELONA’S mayor has temporarily halted the issuing of new licenses for tourist accommodation while amended regulations are drawn up to govern a sector some say has grown too big in recent years.
A city hall statement said the suspension would apply to hotels, apartments, hostels, and privately-owned accommodation houses. It will affect 30 current applications, including one to turn the city's geyser-shaped Agbar skyscraper tower into a hotel.
‘It was necessary to put things in order,’ said mayor Ada Colau. ‘Up to now, tourism policies had been drawn up piecemeal.’
Ms Colau took office last month promising social changes, including a plan to deal with the problem of mass tourism. #Barcelona is one of Europe's top holiday destinations, with more than seven million visitors annually. But many of its 1.6 million residents complain the city is being overrun and losing its character.
The city hall said it plans to study existing accommodation capacity and its economic and social impact, and will start a public debate on developing a sustainable tourism plan by early next year. It said it aimed to reduce the pressure of tourism in certain areas and spread it more equitably among the city's 73 districts.
Officials said they would take into account the experience of other major tourist cities, adding that the plan aimed to preserve Barcelona as a quality tourism destination without disturbing residents.
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