{"id":195120,"date":"2023-10-22T05:49:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-22T05:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tokenstalk.info\/?p=195120"},"modified":"2023-10-22T05:49:00","modified_gmt":"2023-10-22T05:49:00","slug":"european-city-so-saturated-with-tourists-it-wants-to-ban-new-hotels-opening-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tokenstalk.info\/world-news\/european-city-so-saturated-with-tourists-it-wants-to-ban-new-hotels-opening-up\/","title":{"rendered":"European city so ‘saturated’ with tourists it wants to ban new hotels opening up"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The local government of a stunning coastal European city is planning a set of measures aimed at putting a stop to the “progressive and relevant increase” of the tourism sector.<\/p>\n

The Spanish city of San Sebasti\u00e1n, located in the Basque Autonomous Community, experienced an astonishing spike in tourism between 2005 and 2019, with the sector growing 85.26 percent during this time period.<\/p>\n

Since 2012, the number of hotels and guesthouses has increased by more than 48 percent, Spanish news outlet La Nacion recently reported, with a particular growth noted among three to five-star establishments, the number of which has increased by nearly 117 percent over the past 11 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

San Sebasti\u00e1n, capital city of the Gipuzkoa province, counts approximately 187,000 residents and offers some 18,700 tourist places in a total of 1,769 accommodations – including hotels, guesthouses, hostels and campsites.<\/p>\n

The surge of the floating tourist population, which can reportedly reach at peak tourist season 9.91 tourists for every 100 local residents, is affecting the “use and enjoyment of resident citizens”, according to a preliminary report on steps to take to improve the life of locals.<\/p>\n

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Concerned that tourism growth is “conditioning the quality of life” of the city, San Sebasti\u00e1n mayor Eneko Goia has been announcing over the past months a series of measures aiming at limiting the opening of new tourism businesses in the city.<\/p>\n

After he declared in March the “supply of tourist accommodation is sufficient”, he publicly announced the decision of the city council not to grant new licenses to open hotels and tourist apartments.<\/p>\n

Now, Mr Goia and the council are seeking to modify the city’s urban plan in a way that would declare the downtown area “saturated” and barring as a consequence the emergence of new lodging uses.<\/p>\n

The council’s plan is not to ban tourism altogether but, rather, to promote “a sustainable tourism model, compatible with an equally sustainable city model”.<\/p>\n

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