Spain holiday warning as popular town cracks down on tourists with new ban that could push prices up

San Sebastián Spain

San Sebastián will ban new hotels from opening

GETTY
Sarra Gray

By Sarra Gray


Published: 31/10/2023

- 10:18

Updated: 01/11/2023

- 09:36

Part of Spain has banned the building of new hotels

New hotels are banned from opening in the Spanish resort town of San Sebastián.

This will drastically limit how many tourists can visit the area at one time.


Hotels that are already open will be allowed to continue to trade.

However, if tourism continues to increase this could cause a surge in the price of these as holidaymakers fight for the rooms available.

San Sebasti\u00e1n Spain

San Sebastián is a popular tourist spot

PA

San Sebastián has become extremely popular with visitors, with its tourism sector growing more than 65 per cent between 2005 and 2019.

The city's mayor Eneko Goia recently said: "The supply of tourist accommodation is sufficient and it is time to limit the opening of new businesses."

He suggested the ban is not to limit tourists, but to make tourism more "sustainable".

The ban will include new hotels as well as tourist apartments such as new Airbnb options.

This comes as other parts of Spain could propose restrictions for tourists.

British tourists are at risk of being banned from the Balearic Islands if extreme proposals were to go ahead.

Britons who break rules could be blacklisted and not able to return to the country for a certain period.

Costa Del Sol

Other parts of Spain have experienced overcrowding from tourists

PA

This could affect anyone who breaks the law of excesses, a law passed in 2020 that outlaws drunken and bad behaviour in some areas.

Britons in Spain were recently warned if visiting six popular regions.

There is a risk of extreme weather in the city and Britons should be careful.

Holidaymakers should be particularly aware of the heat when in Grand Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Gomera, El Hierro and Tenerife.

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