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Date Published: 02/02/2022

ARCHIVED - The war against illegal tourist apartments wages on in the Region of Murcia

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

Experts claim 80% of tourist flats in Cartagena are not controlled or regulated

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - The war against illegal tourist apartments wages on in the Region of Murcia

Promising data revealed this week show that overnight stays in the Region of Murcia doubled in 2021, leaping from 372,146 in 2020 to 685,201 last year.

But whilst the figures are encouraging for the tourism sector, the war against illegal tourist flats continues and experts fear the problem is more prevalent then ever.

Three years ago it was estimated that there were between 60,000 and 70,000 illegal flats in the region, which experts warn are a “clear catalyst” for the underground economy.

The Aloja association of homeowners and apartments brings together owners of around 400 tourist accommodations in the Region of Murcia, offering a collective total of around 2,200 beds.

Representatives have been insisting for some time that this “scourge on the industry” is slowly spreading, causing heavy losses to the sector, a notable decline in the quality of service and customer care, and a lack of control over who stays at these “illegal businesses”.

Also of interest: Murcia registers third largest rental price increase in Spain

To try to tackle the problem, Aloja has drawn up a list of illegal tourist flats in the most popular destinations: Cartagena, Murcia, Mazarrón, Águilas and Mar Menor.

The list will be passed to the Tourism Office “so that the inspectors can begin to impose sanctions”.

“It is very easy to detect when a tourist flat is illegal. There are countless web portals that promote them whilst taking no responsibility themselves,” said Aloja president, Gregorio Morales, who claims that 80% of tourist flats are illegal in Cartagena alone.

“Whilst the professionals who are dedicated to renting flats continually improve their services, offer more and better quality and provide work, the illegal ones deceive their potential customers, do not provide the minimum standard conditions, and do not comply with the law or pay taxes.”

The pandemic forced many of these “illegal businesses” to go into “hibernation”, according to Aloja, “but now we are suffering another major upturn, at a time when economic activity has begun to revive”.

“While we businessmen are putting our money into providing quality, improving our services, they are taking advantage of the return of tourism. Together with the Department of Tourism, we are going after them. We must continue to grow, but always seeking quality, safety and complying with the regulations.”

Meanwhile, the growing number of tourist apartments in city centres has raised concerns about the added pressure this exerts on a rental market that has seen prices skyrocket by transforming these neighbourhoods from low to high value.

The Spanish Federation of Associations of Tourist Homes and Apartments (Fevitur) is associated with more than 246,000 flats in Spain, which barely represents 1.2% of the total housing stock. But it has assured that some real estate projects have provided opportunities for urban regeneration in run-down neighbourhoods rather than contributing to gentrification of towns and cities.

Image: Archive

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