According to the Spanish National Institute of Statistics (INE), in May 2026, 341,001 tourist accommodation listings were registered on digital short-term rental platforms. This is 40,836 fewer offers than in May last year. The decrease turned out to be one of the most significant since the beginning of statistics collection and amounted to 10.7%.
The total capacity of the exhibited objects is 1.71 million seats, with an average of five seats per dwelling.
The reduction affected all major tourist regions of the country. The largest decrease in the number of ads was recorded in the Valencian community: minus almost 12 thousand units, to 51,268 objects. Nevertheless, Andalusia remains the absolute leader with 90,649 offers (a decrease of 5,527 over the year), followed by Catalonia with 51,300 properties (minus 5,546). The Valencian community closes the top three.
Among the island territories, there are 48,356 listings in the Canary Islands (a decrease of 2,330), and 21,304 in the Balearic Islands (a decrease of 3,057).
The main reason for such a sharp reduction in the number of tourist apartments is the entry into force of the national register of tourist housing (NRUA) from July 2025, which required all facilities to register and have an official license. About 21% of the submitted applications were rejected, which automatically removed tens of thousands of apartments from the platforms. At the same time, regional and municipal authorities have tightened their own regulations: in Valencia, they introduced a limit of 2% of tourist accommodation per area, and Barcelona decided to completely stop issuing new licenses by 2028. In addition, in many cities, permits were actively revoked from facilities that violate the new rules. The authorities are deliberately taking these measures to reduce the pressure on the long-term rental market and stop the price increase for local residents.
It is worth noting that on May 21, 2026, the Supreme Court of Spain annulled the national registry, recognizing it as inconsistent with the competence of the central government, but this step has not yet affected the data for May. The reduction in ads is recorded precisely during the period of the registry and local restrictions.
Among the provinces, the most tourist accommodation is offered in Malaga (45,176), Alicante (32,148) and Las Palmas (26,998). This is followed by Tenerife (21,358), the Balearic Islands (21,304) and Girona (20,821).
As for municipalities, Madrid holds the absolute record for 10,836 rental properties. Malaga is in second place (8,288), Barcelona is in third place (8,231). The top five also includes Marbella(6,987) and Seville(6,937). Next are Valencia(5,393), Mijas (Malaga Province, 4,465), as well as the Canary municipalities of La Oliva(3,979) and Arona(3,967).
Thus, despite the general decline in supply in the country, large urban and coastal centers continue to maintain a high concentration of tourist housing, reflecting the continued demand for short-term rentals in the most popular locations.
Source: Idealista
