Barcelona's mayor has defended a controversial plan to ban all tourist flats by 2028, describing it as a "drastic" but necessary measure to tackle the city's housing crisis. Jaume Collboni, speaking in one of his first interviews with international media since the June announcement,

Global holiday home rental company Airbnb has urged Barcelona's mayor to rethink a widening crackdown on short-term rentals, arguing that it only benefits the hotel sector while failing to address overtourism and a housing crisis.

Barcelona has implemented one of the strictest crackdowns on Airbnb and short-term rentals in the world. The measures are aimed at addressing skyrocketing rents and home prices, which city officials have said are the European city's "biggest problem.