No, Spain Isn't Banning Tourists. Here’s What to Know.

People march during a mass demonstration against over tourism, which affects the local population with inaccessible housing, among other things, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, April 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Miguel Velasco Almendral, file)
People march during a mass demonstration against over tourism, which affects the local population with inaccessible housing, among other things, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, April 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Miguel Velasco Almendral, file)
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No, Spain Isn't Banning Tourists. Here’s What to Know.

People march during a mass demonstration against over tourism, which affects the local population with inaccessible housing, among other things, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, April 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Miguel Velasco Almendral, file)
People march during a mass demonstration against over tourism, which affects the local population with inaccessible housing, among other things, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, April 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Miguel Velasco Almendral, file)

Spain attracted a record 94 million tourists last year, making the Southern European nation famous for its Mediterranean coastline, sweeping landscapes and historic cities among the most visited countries on earth.

The surge in visitors has stoked complaints at times from some Spaniards about “overtourism, ” with concerns about overcrowding, water use and particularly the availability and affordability of housing, The AP reported.

Spain's government has started listening to demands for more regulation, particularly around housing in Spain's big cities, where rising home and rental prices have become a key concern for voters. Earlier this month, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez introduced a 12-part plan to tackle the housing crisis, with measures aimed at bringing stricter regulations to short-term rentals that mainly cater to tourists.

But that doesn't mean Spain is putting the brakes on tourism, an industry that accounts for about 12% of its GDP.

Here's what you should know before planning a visit:

Is Spain restricting tourists? No, but some cities have started to regulate tourism rental properties.

Malaga, an Andalusian port city on the southern Mediterranean coast of Spain, will prohibit new rental properties in 43 neighborhoods of the city where those rentals exceed 8% of the residential stock. The policy went into effect earlier this month and will be tested for three years.

Meanwhile, Barcelona plans to close down all of its 10,000 apartments licensed as short-term rentals in the coming years to safeguard the housing supply for full-time residents. The Mediterranean city known for its beaches, art and surrealist architecture announced last year that it would not renew any new tourism apartment licenses after they expire in 2028.

Can tourists still book hotels and other accommodation? Yes. Tourists can book hotel stays and short-term apartment-style rentals just about anywhere in Spain.

What's prompting Spain to take these measures? Spain is in the throes of a growing housing affordability problem. Skyrocketing rents are particularly acute in cities like Barcelona and Madrid, where incomes have failed to keep up, especially for young people. Housing prices are also steadily rising, especially in cities and coastal areas.

Short-term contracts mainly offered for tourists are seen as driving up rental costs for locals, too.

What else should visitors know before booking travel? Visitors renting a car in Spain or booking hotel stays will also have to file more paperwork thanks to a new law that requires hotel owners and car rental companies to send personal information to the government for national security reasons.

Passport details, home addresses and payment information used by travelers above 14 are among the details that will be collected.



China Snow Village Apologizes for Fake Cotton Snow 

People walk along a street in Beijing, China, 16 February 2025. (EPA) 
People walk along a street in Beijing, China, 16 February 2025. (EPA) 
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China Snow Village Apologizes for Fake Cotton Snow 

People walk along a street in Beijing, China, 16 February 2025. (EPA) 
People walk along a street in Beijing, China, 16 February 2025. (EPA) 

A tourist village in China's southwestern province of Sichuan famed for its scenic snow landscape said it was sorry for using cotton wool and soapy water to create fake snow after online criticism from visitors went viral.

In a post on its official Wechat account on February 8, the Chengdu Snow Village project said during the Lunar New Year holiday at the end of January, the weather was warm and the snow village did not take shape as anticipated.

China is facing hotter and longer heat waves and more frequent and unpredictable heavy rain as a result of climate change, the country's weather bureau has warned.

"In order to create a 'snowy' atmosphere the tourist village purchased cotton for the snow...but it did not achieve the expected effect, leaving a very bad impression on tourists who came to visit," the Chengdu Snow Village project said in the statement.

After receiving feedback from the majority of netizens, the tourist area began to clean up all the snow cotton.

The village said it "deeply apologizes" for the changes and that tourists could get a refund. The site has since been closed.

Photos on Wechat showed large cotton wool sheets strewn about the grounds, only partially covering leafy areas. A thick snow layer appeared to blanket the houses in the zone but as you got closer, it was all cotton, said one netizen.

"A snow village without snow," said another user.

"In today's age of well-developed Internet, scenic spots must advertise truthfully and avoid deception or false advertising, otherwise they will only shoot themselves in the foot."