Andalucia is preparing a major shake-up of its tourism laws that will give town halls extra powers to hunt down illegal tourist accommodation, including fines of up to €600,000.
The Junta has approved the long-awaited Sustainable Tourism Bill, a new legal framework set to come into force in 2026.
It comes after months of consultation and more than 1,300 submissions from town halls, businesses and residents.
The reform effectively rewrites how the region oversees tourism activity, from holiday rentals to hotel capacity, and strengthens the hand of local councils in controlling saturated areas and enforcing compliance.
For the first time, Andalucia will designate Airbnb-style homes as a category of accommodation equivalent to hotels and tourist flats, formalising what many municipalities have already been doing through local bylaws.
The new law builds on measures introduced earlier this year, tightening access to the region’s tourist register and allowing town halls to restrict or suspend new registrations in neighbourhoods considered overrun by short-stay lets.
The toughest changes arrive in the area of enforcement. The bill introduces more robust inspection powers aimed at stamping out illegal accommodation, while ensuring that tourism growth does not undermine residents’ quality of life.
From 2026, sanctions will be divided into three tiers, with the most serious carrying fines of up to €600,000.
Key penalties include:
- Running illegal accommodation: €25,000 to €100,000
- Submitting false information when applying for authorisation: up to €600,000
The law also gives councils significant new authority to plan, cap and zone tourism activity.
Municipalities will be able to create Tourism Resource Management Plans, allowing them to:
- Demarcate tourism zones
- Identify infrastructure needs
- Set maximum accommodation capacity, either by neighbourhood or by type of tourist service
- Adjust planning rules to protect residential life and manage saturation
Crucially, tourist homes are now explicitly considered part of the region’s tourism accommodation ecosystem, meaning that, like hotels, they will only be permitted on land designated for tourism use, or in residential areas that obtain specific compatibility reports.
