The mayor of Palma, Jaime Mart?nez, announced a package of measures to tackle overtourism and boost housing for permanent residents.
A large-scale “raid” on tourist activities that are putting pressure on housing and the quality of life in Palma, Balearic Islands, was announced on Tuesday by the city’s mayor, Jaime Mart?nez. The package of measures includes a total ban on short-term rentals, a freeze on new hostel permits and a definitive end to “party boats” along the Paseo Mar?timo.
An end to all forms of short-term rentals
The most drastic change concerns the complete ban on tourist rentals “in any form” within the municipality of Palma. Until now, the measure only applied to apartment buildings, but it is now being extended to single-family homes and rooms offered through platforms such as Airbnb.
“There are only 639 legal tourist rental permits in Palma; these will remain in force, but if they are cancelled, no new ones will be issued,” the mayor warned. The decision, which is expected to be approved by the next city council, will have a retroactive effect of three months to prevent new permits from being approved in the meantime.
Ban on new hostels and conversion of existing ones
At the same time, the establishment of new hostels is being frozen throughout Palma. Those that are already operating are being encouraged to convert into hotels or long-term rental housing. The measure is part of the city council’s broader strategy to rebuild the urban fabric and limit the phenomenon of “tourist saturation.”
No more party boats from next season
The city council is also putting an end to the floating parties that used to move along the Paseo Mar?timo, which has been the subject of frequent complaints from residents. From the next tourist season, party boats will be completely banned, with the cooperation of the Balearic Port Authority (APB) to implement the measure.
Goal: more homes for residents
According to Martinez, the main goal of the measures is to increase the availability of long-term rental housing and protect the quality of life of locals.
“Palma needs to become a city for its residents again,” the mayor stressed, defending a policy that may provoke reactions from the tourism industry, but finds support in a large part of the local community.
