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Date Published: 23/01/2025

Murcia needs more hotels: The new plan to reduce tourist rental apartments

The Regional government has announced the creation of a new department to encourage tourists to use hotels more and short-term holiday lets less

During the opening day of FITUR 2025, the International Tourism Fair that is held each year in Madrid, the President of the Regional Government of Murcia, Fernando López Miras, announced the creation of a dedicated tourism division within the Investment Acceleration Unit (UNAI) whose aim is to attract investment in hotels and increase the number of beds available in the hotel sector.

This is part of a new strategy to reduce the Region’s dependence on short-term holiday rentals by encouraging the use of hotels. The increase in the availability of short-term holiday rental apartments and their relative affordability in comparison with hotels has meant that more and more apartments are being used for this purpose all across Spain, reducing the housing stock and raising the cost of long-term rentals, thereby pricing renters out of the market.

It is a problem that many parts of Spain are having to find creative ways to deal with. In Málaga, for instance, they have halted the granting of licences to any new tourist apartments in the city centre.

In Murcia, it seems that the authorities want to take a different tack, preferring to encourage the use of traditional hotels once again by economic means rather than legislating against Airbnbs and other tourist rentals.

The newly established tourism division in Murcia is already working to secure hotel projects that will enhance the Region’s appeal as a year-round tourist destination. It will offer direct financial incentives of 20-50% of the investment, alongside other forms of support.

Through the UNAI, which operates under the Region of Murcia’s Development Institute, businesses can expect streamlined processes, reduced bureaucracy and access to fiscal and economic advantages.

López Miras emphasised that this approach aligns Murcia with leading tourist regions such as the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands.

“We need more hotels, and this specific division in the UNAI is a significant step forward,” he said. The government has already initiated discussions with various stakeholders to promote the benefits of investing in the Region of Murcia.

At FITUR, López Miras reflected on Murcia’s remarkable performance in 2024, which he described as “the best tourism year in the history of the Region”. The region broke records across several categories, including visitor numbers, overnight stays, international tourism and spending by international tourists. Tourism’s contribution to the regional economy reached €4.1 billion, supported by a growing workforce in the sector.

The president expressed optimism for the future, stating, “These historic figures motivate us to aim even higher in the coming years.”

Projections for 2025 include 2 million visitors and over 6 million overnight stays.

Image: CARM

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