Recent figures indicate that more than 800 shops, bars, and other local businesses in Malaga, Spain, have been transformed into holiday properties over the past three years.
According to property portal Idealista, citing data from the national land registry, 839 premises in the Costa del Sol city have been converted since 2021.
Among the conversions, 327 were shops or bars, 198 were warehouses and storage rooms, and 88 were offices. Additionally, 60 hotels were transformed into multiple flats, and even two religious buildings were converted.
The rapid increase in conversions is not surprising, as the report notes that turning a business into a home can triple the property’s value. In Malaga, housing is worth 86 percent more than commercial premises and 80 percent more than an office, making the conversion profitable.
However, the latest figures have sparked a backlash among some locals.
One Instagram user commented: “You’re at the point of extinction, but you are fighters!”
Another added: “Malaga is following in the footsteps of Magaluf,” while one more lamented: “What a shame that the city is not for Malagueños.”
Not everyone shares the same sentiment, with one local commenting in defence of tourism: “Thanks to them (guiris), almost all my friends and I have jobs, just like half of Malaga…in Torremolinos I was earning €1,800 thanks to their tips.” The account page responded sarcastically: “Thanks to the guiris handouts…what kind people!”
Across Spain over the past three years, there were 27,700 conversions of businesses into homes.
Madrid and Barcelona saw the most conversions, with 3,625 and 2,233, respectively, followed by Pontevedra (1,624), Valencia (1,255), Las Palmas (1,074), Sevilla (1,035), and Burgos (963).
According to a report by the Bank of Spain, the rapid increase in holiday lets is contributing to a shortage of housing for everyday Spaniards and residents. The report states that 600,000 homes must be built by 2025 to meet the property deficit, despite the existence of almost four million empty or unoccupied homes.
As anti-tourism sentiment grows across Spain, images shared by the Guirisgohome Instagram account show stickers with the page’s name plastered outside tourist flats in Valencia, with a caption reading: “Valencia… stop turning businesses into Airbnbs!”
The backlash reflects a broader concern about the impact of tourism on local communities and housing availability.
