The Mobile World Congress at risk in Barcelona beyond 2030 due to the city’s crackdown on short-term rentals, according to the municipal Popular Party (PP). Consequently, the continuity of this major international tech event faces serious jeopardy.
Daniel Sirera, the PP leader in Barcelona’s City Council, has warned that the municipal government’s decision to eliminate tourist apartments by 2028 places the event “at risk”. Moreover, Sirera argues that the reduction in accommodation options will severely hamper the city’s logistical capacity to host major international gatherings.
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Mobile World Congress at risk from accommodation shortages
The core of the PP’s concern lies in the accommodation preferences of MWC delegates. According to Sirera, “four out of every 10 congress attendees stay in tourist apartments”. Therefore, removing this supply will put “Barcelona’s capacity to host major international events in serious danger”. The situation in the city mirrors a wider pattern, as new data points to Spain’s tourist housing decline following regulatory crackdowns.
Currently, the MWC has a contract securing its presence in the Catalan capital until 2030. However, the opposition party fears that when renegotiations occur, the lack of flexible lodging options could be a decisive factor against renewal.
During the plenary session this January, the PP intends to formally request that the administration of Mayor Jaume Collboni (PSC) reverses its plan. Meanwhile, the current policy aims to extinguish approximately 10,000 tourist flat licences across the city by 2028 in an effort to return units to the residential housing market. This policy is being enacted against the backdrop of forecasts detailing Catalonia’s worsening housing crisis.
Political clashes over housing policy threaten Mobile World Congress
Sirera has strongly criticised the Mayor’s approach, claiming the elimination of these licences “does not solve the housing problem”. He described the measures as “communist recipes” and argued that the administration should focus on constructing new housing rather than banning existing economic activities.
Beyond the issue of tourist flats, the PP is also set to demand the eviction of approximately 30 municipal properties which they claim are currently illegally occupied. Sirera accused the local government of “hypocrisy” for failing to recover these assets to utilise them for social housing, while simultaneously blaming the private sector for shortages. In addition, the administration has pointed to its efforts in other areas, such as Barcelona’s public housing investment, as proof of its commitment to solving the shortage.
Escalating his rhetoric, Sirera also linked local management to broader political issues. He criticised the Socialists for the management of the Rodalies commuter rail network. “Everything the PSC touches, they ruin,” he stated, demanding that Collboni assert more independence from the national and regional socialist leadership.
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