SAN SEBASTIáN – In response to the rampant growth of tourism in the city, the San Sebastian City Council is no longer issuing new permits for the opening of hotels and residences for tourist use in specific neighbourhoods.
They want to wait with new decisions until the amendment of the General Urban Development Plan (PGOU) has been approved. However, this procedure can take up to a year. The mayor of San Sebastian told the regional press that the decision aims to regulate tourist activity in the city. According to him, limits should be set on the proliferation of new hotels in the city because San Sebastian already has “enough” accommodation. “It is time to limit the opening of new hotels and tourist residences,” concluded Eneko Goia Lazo.
Two territorial areas
The proposal developed by the city council for this purpose establishes two territorial scopes in the city. On the one hand, it concerns the general suspension of new construction in all urban plots, regardless of their classification. This suspension applies to the districts of Antiguo-Ondarreta, Ategorrieta-Ulia, Centro, Gros and Ibaeta. On the other hand, in the rest of the city, it only establishes a suspension of permits for hotels and residences for tourist use in the residential areas.
The old part of the city is excluded from the suspension as it is already considered a saturated area, so the implementation of new tourist accommodation was already limited in 2020.
They want to wait with new decisions until the amendment of the General Urban Development Plan (PGOU) has been approved. However, this procedure can take up to a year. The mayor of San Sebastian told the regional press that the decision aims to regulate tourist activity in the city. According to him, limits should be set on the proliferation of new hotels in the city because San Sebastian already has “enough” accommodation. “It is time to limit the opening of new hotels and tourist residences,” concluded Eneko Goia Lazo.
Two territorial areas
The proposal developed by the city council for this purpose establishes two territorial scopes in the city. On the one hand, it concerns the general suspension of new construction in all urban plots, regardless of their classification. This suspension applies to the districts of Antiguo-Ondarreta, Ategorrieta-Ulia, Centro, Gros and Ibaeta. On the other hand, in the rest of the city, it only establishes a suspension of permits for hotels and residences for tourist use in the residential areas.
The old part of the city is excluded from the suspension as it is already considered a saturated area. Therefore, the implementation of new tourist accommodation was already limited in 2020.
Read also: San Sebastian is considering levying a tourist tax
Since 2019, the number of tourists coming to San Sebastián has increased by 16%, reaching 862,872 in 2022. They represent 1,747,541 overnight stays, 14% more than in 2019. In the last five years, the number of tourist places in San Sebastián has increased by almost 50% increased
