Candidate for city mayor would ban new tourist apartments

The PSOE candidate for mayor of Malaga city in May's municipal elections has said he wants to follow the example of Palma de Mallorca if he is elected and ban new tourist apartments "to avoid urban speculation".

Daniel Pérez made the announcement on his Twitter account this week in a video recorded with the mayor of Palma, José Hila, since the objective of the candidate is to follow the example of the Balearic island capital, where the ban on tourists holidays using normal family homes in the city began in 2018. That measure has recently been upheld by a Supreme Court ruling.

"Malaga suffers from a serious housing shortage and one of the major factors is tourist housing, which is eating up the city, especially in the centre, and is making it impossible for locals to find rental properties. You have to take action. A brave mayor is needed to put a stop to tourist rentals that are creating a serious problem in the city. Can it be done? It only takes will, as municipalities such as Palma de Mallorca have shown by providing a solution to the problem," said Pérez. However, the AVVA association of tourist housing in Andalucía accused Pérez of using the tourist industry as a scapegoat for other problems.