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Date Published: 21/02/2023

ARCHIVED - Tourist accommodation is restricted in the ancient Spanish city of Toledo

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The capital city of Castilla-La Mancha was named a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1986

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Tourist accommodation is restricted in the ancient Spanish city of Toledo

The tourism sector is pivotal for Spain's economy, contributing 97 billion euros in 2021, with an average 230 million passengers passing through the country's airports every year.

However, despite the obvious rewards an influx of holidaymakers to Spain's towns and cities can bring, more and more popular destinations, including Mallorca, are implementing rules and restrictions that on the surface appear to stem the flow of tourists as opposed to attracting them.

Most recently, Toledo in Castilla-La Mancha has approved new regulations to put the brakes on the proliferation of tourist flats and other vacation accommodation in its historic centre.

These types of dwellings will now be limited to 20% of properties and may only be located on the ground floor or the first if there is a shop below.

While waiting for the measure, which is not retroactive, to come into force, the City Council has also halted the processing of new tourist flats.

Toledo Mayor, Milagros Tolón, the manager of the City Consortium, Jesús Corroto, and head of the Municipal Housing Company, Luis Enrique Espinoza, have defended the measure, pointing out that "now is the time to put a stop to the increase in tourist flats".

Holiday accommodation currently accounts for 10% of dwellings in Toledo overall, although in some of its 11 districts they already exceed 20%, "so there can be no more accommodation of this type created in them".

Another of the pillars of the new regulations is support for local businesses and, so, it includes "tax formulas that benefit businesses that provide services to residents", according to the mayor.

The urban planning modification "aims to prevent speculation, promote residential housing, protect residents, avoid problems of coexistence, support local businesses and defend a sustainable tourism model," she said.

The mayor also stressed that the historic centre of Toledo has been a World Heritage Site since 1986, and warned that the proliferation of tourist flats is "a threat not only for Toledo but for all heritage cities", although "in this case we are in time to stop it".

A couple of month ago Mallorca's Director of Tourism, Lucia Escribano sparked a political and media storm after implying the island is no longer interested in welcoming budget UK tourists during the summer. The comments follow a series of harsh rules and restrictions to cut down on so-called drunken tourism.

However, according to the Mallorca authorities, the statement made by the tourism boss at the World Travel Market in London was taken out of context and were made in reference to Mallorca wishing to promote itself as a top winter destination rather than being overrun, as it currently is, during the summer months.

Image: Toledo Turismo

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