Barcelona tourist flat sector demands €1bn compensation over removal of licenses

The tourist apartment sector in Barcelona has lodged compensation claims with the Catalan government totaling €1 billion in response to the mayor of Barcelona's plans to remove all 10,101 holiday flats in the city by November 2028. 

The claims covering "losses due to investments made and future earnings" have come from around 1,500 properties and 20 management companies, the president of the Association of Tourist Apartments of Barcelona (Apartur), Enrique Alcántara said on Monday. 

The €1 billion figure is set to rise further, as claims can be submitted until November 8, one year on from the publication of the law. 

Apartur estimates therefore that compensation claims could eventually exceed €3 billion in Barcelona €7 billion across Catalonia. 

Barcelona 'cannot give up 40% of tourists' 

The tourist apartment association's manager, Marian Muro, described the government regulation as "the disguised expropriation of a right," which "gives the right to compensation", which she said should be borne by the local councils. 

Muro also warned that "Barcelona cannot give up the 40% of tourists" that this type of accommodation welcomes. 

The president of the association emphasized that the apartments are "fully occupied" during congresses such as the Mobile World Congress and ISE, and that occupation throughout the year moves between "80% and 85%." 

Alcántara also warned that it was "false" to suggest that hotels "do not reduce housing," arguing that they "irreversibly destroy it." The president also said that they have been waiting for a meeting with Barcelona City Council for more than a year.