The Bank of Spain has published figures in its annual report on housing. These figures indicate the concentration of holiday homes in municipalities, without specific regulations. The centre of a popular seaside resort on the Costa del Sol has the highest concentration. This is according to figures from the Bank.
On a national level, holiday homes in Spain make up an average of 10% of the total residential market. The figures from the Bank of Spain show that the urban centre of Marbella has the highest concentration of holiday homes in Spain. The resort is far above the rest of the large municipalities in Spain.
The percentage of holiday homes in the centre of Marbella is 64%. This means that two out of three rental apartments have a tourist destination.
Marbella is followed by the city of Málaga. But the difference is huge; with 22% of holiday homes in the city centre. Granada (13.5%) and Cordoba (13.0%) complete the top four. Barcelona has 3.6% tourist apartments in relation to the total number of rental properties in the urban area.
Area outside the city centre
If we look not only at the centre, but also beyond, Marbella is in second place with 55%, surpassed only by Elche (66%).
The Bank of Spain’s report goes on to say that 600,000 new homes are needed to match supply and demand across the country. According to the report, there are four million empty homes in Spain, but most of them are in areas where demand is very low.
Number of holiday homes in Marbella according to INE
According to the National Institute of Statistics (INE), Marbella has 6,540 holiday homes. This is the latest available data, from August 2023. This is 6.52% of the total number of homes in the municipality. A significant difference with the figures of the Bank of Spain.
Recently, the Junta de Andalucía left the regulation of tourist rentals in the hands of the municipal councils, especially in terms of establishing restrictions, but so far, no steps have been taken in Marbella.