The Mayor of Badalona, Xavier García Albiol, has announced a plan to completely prohibit tourist apartments in the city before the summer, a striking move that places him at odds with the official position of his own People’s Party (PP).

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Albiol made the announcement during a municipal plenary session on Monday. He framed the decision as a pragmatic necessity to protect the city’s housing market. This ban directly responds to similar measures implemented across the Barcelona metropolitan area, most notably in the Catalan capital itself.

Albiol acknowledged the ideological dissonance, stating that the policy was a departure from his party’s typical pro-business stance. However, he argued that inaction was not an option.

“This goes beyond political colours, and if we have to make decisions that do not coincide ideologically, we make them,” Albiol stated. “What cannot happen is that Badalona is left alone when our surroundings are banning tourist flats.”

A Regional Domino Effect

Barcelona’s mayor, Jaume Collboni, recently announced plans to eliminate all tourist flat licences in the capital by the end of 2028. This significantly influenced Albiol’s decision. This policy shift in Barcelona, which the city council states aims to tackle the housing crisis, has prompted fears of a ‘centrifugation effect’, displacing tourist rental operations to neighbouring municipalities like Badalona.

By acting swiftly, Albiol aims to pre-empt this potential influx, which he warned would remove more properties from the long-term rental market and exacerbate housing shortages for local residents. Unlike Barcelona’s years-long phase-out, Badalona’s ban is set to be fast-tracked for this summer.

A decree-law from the Catalan government, passed in late 2023, underpins this regional clampdown. It grants municipalities with proven housing stress greater powers to regulate or prohibit short-term lets. Badalona’s move forms part of a wider regional effort to rebalance the housing market, with Barcelona also exploring measures like proposing tax hikes for non-resident property buyers.

‘Badalonismo’ Over Party Ideology

Mayor Albiol, who secured a commanding absolute majority in the last local elections, defended his decision as in the city’s best interest, regardless of party doctrine. “Ideologically, surely, it is not in our political line,” he admitted to the council, according to reports in 20 Minutos. However, he insisted the policy was “the best for Badalona.”

He attributed his electoral success to this city-first approach, which he claimed helps him “attract the trust of people who are from Guanyem, En Comú Podem, ERC or the PSC.” He vowed to continue making such decisions, “no matter who it bothers.”

“This is called ‘Badalonismo’,” he concluded, coining a term for his brand of local-focused politics.

Cross-Party Reactions

The opposition welcomed the move. The Socialists’ Party of Catalonia (PSC) called it “good news” for the city and its residents. However, they quickly pointed out the People’s Party’s apparent hypocrisy, as the party has consistently opposed similar initiatives elsewhere.

At a press conference, PSC parliamentary spokesperson Elena Díaz challenged the PP’s inconsistency. “It would be good if the PP really explained what its model for tourist-use housing is and why it is good for Badalona and not for the city of Barcelona,” she remarked.

The ban will formalise pressure from local activist groups and other political parties, including ERC and En Comú Podem, who have long advocated for stricter controls on the sector. This decision marks a significant shift in a region grappling with the dual pressures of a booming tourism industry and an increasingly unaffordable housing market. Recent protests against tourism infrastructure in the capital also reflect this issue.