Key facts
- Increased air tourism is linked to higher rents and house prices in seven European countries, according to a study.
- In Spain, a 12.8% rise in air tourists from 2019-2025 is estimated to have increased average rents by €236 (1.7%).
- The same factor is estimated to have raised average house purchase prices in Spain by €3,800.
- The study acknowledges that the impact of tourism on housing costs varies significantly by region.
- The report identifies insufficient housing, regulatory issues, poor urban planning, and labor shortages as other drivers of Spain's housing problem.
A new study suggests that the rise in air tourism in Spain has contributed to increased housing costs, with an estimated €236 rise in average rents and a €3,800 increase in house prices between 2019 and 2025. The analysis, conducted by the New Economics Foundation and commissioned by the European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E), found a correlation between the increase in air tourists and the rise in rents and house prices across seven European countries, particularly in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Greece.
The study indicates that Spain's 12.8% increase in air tourists over the past seven years is responsible for these estimated rises. However, the report emphasizes that the impact varies significantly between cities and regions depending on tourism demand. This finding aligns with previous observations by the Bank of Spain, which noted the significant number of homes designated for tourist or seasonal rentals and the substantial annual purchase of properties by foreign buyers or for second homes.
Despite the correlation, the study points out that tourism alone cannot fully explain the scale of Spain's housing problem. Other significant factors include a general shortage of housing, particularly in urban areas, bureaucratic complexities, overlapping regulations across different government levels, inadequate urban planning, and a lack of labor. These issues collectively contribute to the rising prices, which have become a major barrier to maintaining purchasing power.
The study also highlights the growth in air travel and its environmental impact, noting that Madrid-Barajas and Barcelona-El Prat airports are projected to surpass Amsterdam's Schiphol in tourist arrivals. Spain's aviation emissions in 2025 exceeded pre-pandemic levels by 14%. The tourism sector's contribution to global carbon emissions was 8.8% in 2019. Furthermore, the report points out a disconnect between the growth in tourism and wage growth in the hospitality sector, which accounts for a significant portion of employment but a smaller share of gross value added, indicating low productivity and stagnant real wages in the sector.