Barcelona city council will fine holiday rental websites Airbnb and HomeAway €600,000 (£509,000) each for offering unlicensed accommodation, it has announced, as it steps up its campaign against tourism saturation.
Announcing the move on Catalunya Ràdio on Thursday, Left-wing mayor Ada Colau said it was “unacceptable that there are thousands of apartments operating illegally without a permit, not paying taxes and causing a nuisance to neighbours”.
“Tourism is a positive asset for the city, but it was disproportional and impacts directly on the right to housing,” added Ms Colau, who earlier this week announced over a million euros in fines against “speculative” banks for allowing apartments in Barcelona to remain empty.
This is an excerpt from an article originally published by Telegraph.
