The Balearic Government has affirmed that the offer of illegal rental apartments to tourists is not the main cause of the lack of housing in the region. This was stated by Jaume Bauzá, Balearic Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports, during his speech at the Tourism Innovation Summit held in Seville. In his speech, Bauzá defended that tourism is not to blame for the housing problem in the community, pointing out that it is mainly due to the “null state policy on housing”. According to Bauzá, although it is necessary to regulate tourist housing, illegal renting represents only “a small part of the problem”, while causing an increase in tourism-phobia among residents. He stressed the importance of keeping the tourist offer regulated and legal as a tool to avoid social conflicts and promote responsible tourism. During the forum, which brought together regional heads of tourism from Andalusia, Valencia, the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, the need to balance tourism growth with social and economic sustainability was highlighted.
Bauzá recalled that the Balearic Islands has been working for some time on participatory processes with society and the agents involved to mitigate the effects of tourism on the real estate market, relying on collaboration between the public and private sectors.
Defense of the tourism sector and its benefits
The participants in the forum agreed that the regulation of tourist housing is necessary, but rejected that this type of accommodation is the cause of the housing crisis in Spain. Arturo Bernal, Andalusia’s Minister of Tourism, stressed that “tourism cannot be the scapegoat” and criticized the discourse that seeks to blame the sector for the housing shortage. For her part, the Councilor for Tourism of Valencia, Nuria Montes, regretted that “political ideology” has used tourism to stir up the street, pointing out that many run-down neighborhoods have improved thanks to the installation of tourist housing. Jessica de Leo, head of Tourism in the Canary Islands, reinforced this perspective by stating that “Spain lacks a real housing plan” and pointed out that state regulations have strained the market, causing a social explosion.
Sustainability at the core of tourism
In addition to the social component, the regional leaders stressed the need to focus on environmental sustainability as an added value. Bauzá insisted that the Balearic Islands must align itself with the principles of sustainability in order to maintain its competitiveness as a benchmark tourist destination.
