The Consell de Govern has approved today, Friday, the Decree Law of tourism containment measures, which introduces significant changes to the regulation of the tourism sector in the Balearic Islands. The Decree has received the support of the Popular Parliamentary Group and the Vox Parliamentary Group, after the exclusion of proposals related to taxation.

Tourism Containment

Image from the press conference following the Consell de Govern. Photo: CAIB.

Among the main measures included are the prohibition of creating new tourist rental places in multi-family housing, the increase in fines for illegal offers, and the implementation of an extraordinary modernisation regime for tourist establishments. This set of measures aims to curb the uncontrolled growth of the supply and promote the sustainability of the tourism sector in the region, according to information from the Govern.

Main tourism containment measures

Control of the tourist rental supply

  • Prohibition of new places in multi-family housing: The creation of new tourist places in multi-family housing is restricted across the entire archipelago.

  • License renewal: Homes already operating as tourist accommodations can renew their license, but they must meet higher quality standards set through regulations.

  • Exchange of places: The possibility of exchanging places between individuals is reactivated, but without increasing the total number of tourist places.

  • Place moratorium: The change of use from tourist establishments to residential homes will be allowed, but the moratorium on places will remain until the island councils establish the ceiling for places in their respective territories.

Fighting against illegal offers

  • Requirement of registration number: Commercial platforms must require the accommodation registration number from the owners of tourist accommodations. Both the owners and the commercial platforms will be held responsible for any infringements.

  • Increase in fines: Fines for illegal offers are increased, with penalties that can reach up to 500,000 euros. Serious fines are raised from 40,000 to 50,000 euros, while the most serious can reach up to 500,000 euros.

  • Incentive for social rental: Owners who are fined may receive a reduction of up to 80% of the penalty if they dedicate their property to social rental or rental at limited prices, with the income benefiting the Autonomous Community.

Saturated areas and hotel conversion

  • Declaration of saturated areas: The island councils may declare areas as saturated and establish strategic action plans to manage these areas.

  • Conversion regime: An extraordinary regime for the modernisation of tourist establishments is established, allowing an increase in the surface area of establishments up to 10%, without allowing an increase in height of buildings or in the number of tourist places.

  • Quality certification: Saturated areas will undergo a SICTED quality certification process, ensuring excellence and sustainability standards.

The search for quality and excellence

The Conseller Jaume Bauzá, in a press conference, expressed his satisfaction with the approval of the Decree Law, stating that it “puts an end to the growth of the number of places favoured by the previous Govern and focuses on the search for quality and excellence”. He also highlighted that the regulation also addresses the “housing emergency“, ensuring that the measures “provide solutions to housing problems”. According to Bauzá, the Decree Law reflects a more sustainable and quality-oriented approach to the tourism offer in the Balearic Islands.

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💡 The Govern launches a battery of tourism containment measures in Balears