The Spanish government has called for a list of nearly 66,000 properties on the rental platform on the grounds of violating travel accommodation regulations.

Protests against excessive tourism have begun before the summer season. The demonstrations in the Canary Islands on Sunday attracted thousands of people.

Minister of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and the 2030 Agenda Pablo Bustinduy said the rental properties involved “violate various norms regarding housing for tourism purposes”.

The news comes after a Madrid court ruled that Airbnb must immediately withdraw from the 5,800 markets of property mentioned by the ministry.

These properties are in six regions: Madrid, Andalusia, Catalonia, Valencia, Basque Islands and Balearic Islands.

Bustinduy's ministry is now awaiting judicial decision on about 60,000 other properties, whose list is considered illegal.

According to the ministry, it has determined that the property has not provided a license number (provided the wrong number), or that the legal status of the owner is not specified to indicate whether they are rented on a professional basis or as a private individual.

He described the court's ruling as "a clear victory for those fighting to protect the right to housing".

"It is possible to ensure that no financial interests take precedence over housing and that no company (no matter how big or powerful) goes beyond the law," Bustinduy added.

Housing has become the biggest concern for Spaniards in recent months due to the spiral of rental costs, especially in larger towns.

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Over the past decade, the cost of average rent has doubled, and wages have failed to keep up.

Many people identify tourist apartments as the main cause of the problem, thus depriving local residents of their accommodation.

Spain is the second most popular tourist destination in the world after France, with 94 million foreign tourists in 2024, an increase of 13% in the previous year.

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said earlier this year: "There are too much air fishing and insufficient houses" and promised to prevent the use of property for tourism.

Some local governments have also begun to take action against Airbnb.

Barcelona City Hall said it will eliminate 10,000 short-term tourist apartments by the end of 2028.

Others took a different approach. In recent months, Airbnb has reached agreements with local authorities in the Canary Islands, Ibiza and Murcia to ensure owners comply with tourism rental rules.

Airbnb responded to the court's ruling and Bustinduy's announcement that he insisted on appealing the decision related to the case and provided no evidence of the moderator's violation of the rules.

It also cites the Spanish Supreme Court's 2022 ruling, which lists the responsibility for listing information is the host of each property, not the host of the company, not the company, which is "neutral and neutral" rather than the real estate provider.

The company also offers a broader view on the Spanish housing issue.

"The root cause of the affordable housing crisis in Spain is the lack of supply that meets demand," a spokesperson said. "Governments around the world have seen that regulating Airbnb will not alleviate housing problems or return to the market for homes - which will only hurt local families who rely on custody to afford homes and rising costs."

Last summer, Spain saw a wave of protests in many popular destinations against excessive tourism, which had an impact on housing’s biggest complaints.

With foreign tourists rapidly approaching 100 million times a year, the unrest is expected to continue this summer.

Thousands of people walked up the streets of the Canary Islands under the slogan "Canary has its limits."

In Majorca, one is called Less tourism, more life (Less tourism, more life) are preparing for similar actions, with protests scheduled for June 15.