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Spain: Pamplona, the capital of Navarre province in northern Spain, is following the lead of other cities across Spain by refusing to grant new licences for tourist apartments in its old town.
The Basque separatist EH Bildu Party, which forms part of the coalition city council [Ayuntamiento de Pamplona], made the decision in the wake of what it called “rising house prices, both for sale and rent, the worsening difficulties of the commercial sector, as well as the loss of identity of the historic centre”.
Speaking on X [formerly Twitter], EH Bildu party councillor Joxe Abaurrea said that his party was committed to “sustainable tourism” and it wanted to preserve Pamplona city centre as a residential area and for local commerce.
The ban on new holiday rental licences came into effect on Monday [9 September].
Pamplona, with a population of less than 200,000 people, is famous for its week-long annual bull-running festival – the San Fermin running of the bulls – which brings in tens of thousands of tourists every July.
There are said to be 186 tourist apartments currently listed in the city’s old town, accounting for 55 per cent of all holiday rentals in Pamplona.
As in other cities across Spain, locals have protested against the rising number of tourists and perceived ‘over-tourism’. Back in May, a number of protesters damaged key lockboxes outside tourist apartments by pouring glue or silicone inside them in the lead up to this year’s edition of the bull-running festival.
Across the country, cities including Seville, Granada, Valencia and Malaga are in the middle of implementing stricter restrictions on short-term holiday rentals. Meanwhile, Madrid City Council announced a temporary suspension on granting new holiday rental licences in the capital in May – a suspension which looks likely to hold until 2025.
And in June, Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni, of the leftist Socialists’ Party of Catalonia, revealed plans to introduce a ban on all short-term rentals in the city by late 2028. The move would void approximately 10,000 licences currently active in Barcelona, although the potential ban is being contested in court by the conservative People’s Party.
