Madrid has decided to limit the rental of apartments to tourists without a license to 90 days a year

Madrid City Council, led by Manuela Carmena, said on Wednesday that it was preparing a plan to limit the rental of apartments to tourists by private individuals without a license to 90 days a year. In addition to this limit, owners must obtain a municipal license to continue their business (i.e. a city hotel license). Tourism is an important economic driver for Madrid.

The mayor himself explained that after changing the city's master plan (GUP), the capital wants to follow the steps of cities like Amsterdam, which set a limit of 60 days. "We will ensure that this provision is met," he said. Karmena stressed her desire to move towards "sustainable tourism." The local government plans to process 1,000 licenses in the first half of 2018.

Last year, Madrid broke its record for attracting foreign tourists . According to the National Statistics Institute (INE), it received such a large number of foreign tourists for the first time in its history. More than 9 million people visited the capital in 2016, up 1.6% from the 8.8 million people it received in 2015.