The Airbnb business in Maspalomas is as profitable as it is controversial. It represents a key source of income for thousands of families and micro-businesses, but it also poses urgent challenges in terms of access to housing, urban balance, and tourism sustainability. The Canary Islands Government has decided to file an administrative appeal against Royal Decree 1312/2024, approved by the Spanish Government, which establishes a Single Registry of Tourist Homes and a Digital One-Stop Shop for the control of short-term accommodations. In Maspalomas and other areas of high tourist pressure, the proliferation of vacation homes has generated tensions in the real estate market and in citizen coexistence. Therefore, the municipality is in the process of redefining its tourism and residential model, paying special attention to the socioeconomic and environmental impact of short-term rentals. Although the Single Registry aims to increase transparency and improve the oversight of these accommodations, the Canary Islands fear that it will result in double scrutiny, uncoordinated with existing registries in the region, and that it will overlap with the new regional decree on holiday homes, currently being processed.
The decision seeks to curb regulations that, according to the regional government, encroach on the powers of the autonomous communities, especially in the tourism sector, which is crucial for municipalities like San Bartolomé de Tirajana, where Maspalomas is located. The implementation of this Single Registry could have direct consequences for tourist areas highly dependent on vacation rentals, such as Maspalomas, where tourist housing represents a significant portion of available accommodation, both formal and informal.
According to industry sources, a centralized database without regional coordination could hamper local management of the phenomenon, alter the balance between hotel and vacation rental offerings, and even influence the tourism development plans currently being developed in the southern municipality. Furthermore, the measure creates uncertainty among property owners, platform managers, and small landlords, who fear increased bureaucracy, new administrative requirements, and possible sanctions for lack of coordination between state and regional registries. The Minister of Tourism and Employment, Jéssica de León, points out that the Canary Islands government submitted a prior request to the state on February 17, but received no response. The move to court is based on a ruling from the Council of State, which states that the regulation was approved without prior consultation with the autonomous communities or potentially affected organizations, such as city councils or island councils.
"The Canary Islands have exclusive powers over tourism planning and promotion, and this state measure cannot be imposed without dialogue or agreement," stated De León, who insists that the regional government's position is not one of confrontation, but rather one of institutional defense.
