A SPANISH court rejected an appeal by Airbnb today against an order to block almost 66,000 rental listings which the government said violated local rules.

The government has said the platform’s short-term rentals in city centres and tourism hot spots are contributing to Spain’s housing crunch while the country welcomes record numbers of visitors.

Spain’s government ordered Airbnb to block 65,935 listings last month after the Consumer Rights Ministry flagged the firm for breaking regulations. It said Airbnb had to take down 5,800 immediately.

The ministry said the listings it flagged did not include a licence number or specify whether the owner was an individual or a company. It said others listed numbers that didn’t match what authorities had.

In a statement, Airbnb said the ministry’s actions went against Spanish regulations that hold owners of short-term rentals, not the platform, as responsible for listing such information. It also said the Madrid court’s decision was not made on the merits of the ministry’s order, adding that will take longer to decide.

The company asserted that Spain’s housing crisis comes down to “a lack of supply to meet demand,” and said anything else “is a distraction.”

Spain welcomed a record 94 million international visitors in 2024, but tensions between the tourism industry and housing activists have reached new heights.

Protesters used water guns on unsuspecting tourists in Barcelona and on the Spanish island of Mallorca last weekend, demanding a rethink of the economic model that they say is fuelling a housing crisis and erasing the character of their hometowns.