Spain's consumer rights ministry blocks more than 65,000 Airbnb listings

Spain's consumer rights ministry said on Monday it had ordered Airbnb to withdraw more than 65,000 listings for holiday rentals from its platform, saying they violated existing rules.

The Spanish government as well as city councils and regional authorities have launched a general crackdown on tourism rentals via sites such as Airbnb and Booking.com, which many Spaniards say are creating excess tourism, cramping housing stock and making renting unaffordable for locals.

Most of the Airbnb listings to be blocked did not include their license number, while others did not specify whether the owner was an individual or a corporation, the ministry said in a statement.

A spokesperson for Airbnb did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Consumer Minister Pablo Bustinduy has said his goal is to end the general "lack of control" and "illegality" in the holiday rental business and "favor access to housing and protect consumer rights."

Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni took Spain's toughest move so far in June last year when he ordered a total ban on tourism rentals by 2028.