10 September 2024. The data is what it is and, despite the news generated in the media in recent weeks by a few residents of a specific block of homes in the capital, They prove the opposite of what they are trying to make you believe.: The tourist accommodations are perfectly compatible with the rest of the neighbors and do not cause inconvenience. In the 2.089 tourist homes in Malaga capital that have a noise monitoring system and night concierge 24/7 this summer (June, July and August) there have been a total of 585.432 overnight stays. The 99,43% has passed with flying colors the 'acoustic examination' to which they have been subjected 24 hours a day during the three main months of the high season as it does not cause any inconvenience to the residents there.. Just the 0,57% of the total number of overnight stays has produced a noise alert for exceeding the recommended decibels. Only the 0,012% has been caused by a party (73 in total). The rest of the noise has been generated by dinners/after-meals (1.064), television/music at high volume (599) and various noises (1.606). In all cases the noise was eliminated by an average of 28 minutes, according to data provided by Roomonitor, the company in charge of providing the service.
This debate was already over a long time ago after the work carried out in recent years by the Association of Tourist Housing and Apartment Professionals of Andalusia (AVVAPro) to improve neighborhood coexistence. Málaga was a pioneer in the implementation in 2022 of a 'Code of good practices for housing for tourist purposes and Property Managers', an agreement signed between AVVAPro and the College of Property Administrators of Málaga and Melilla with the aim of improving the coexistence of these accommodations in the communities of owners. This year the association has extended the agreement to all of Andalusia with the signature made with the Andalusian Council of Associations of Property Administrators of Andalusia.
The code of good practices includes commitments to action by the owners and managers of housing for tourism purposes and also by property managers.. A step taken in recent years by AVVAPro to promote the positive contribution of tourist homes and apartments to the local economy through increasing competitiveness and the level of quality of the service provided to users., providing the sector with security and guarantees and also benefiting citizens and their quality of life.
Last May, besides, more than 2.000 tourist accommodations in Malaga capital received the weRespect certification, recognizing the owners for their commitment to responsible behavior between hosts and guests and for promoting good neighborly coexistence, in addition to its commitment to caring for the environment and practicing sustainable tourism. Malaga was in 2022 the second European city (only behind Barcelona) to receive this certification.
All of this is “the best example that we continue to advance in the professionalization of the sector and in providing the best possible service while promoting quality tourism and healthy coexistence.”, “We promote a professional and sustainable management model”, assures the vice president of AVVAPro, John Cube.
And to ratify these certainties AVVAPro wanted to speak with presidents of neighborhood communities, as Salvador Millán, which is in front of a venue in the central Malaga neighborhood of La Malagueta: “The coexistence between tourists and neighbors is unbeatable, without any incident. Both uses of the home are perfectly compatible as long as there is good management., a good professional to take care of the accommodation”. Millán adds that tourism “is part of the economic engine of our land.”. The profiles of tourists are the same in hotels and tourist apartments, The important thing is to examine the profile of the tourist we are interested in having come.”.
In the center of Granada, in Trinidad Square, Daniel Ruiz presides over his community. “I have not seen in all these years that there is a problem between having one type of accommodation or another. The last thing anyone who manages a tourist apartment wants is for it to cause problems., is the main victim. I believe that generating problems depends more on the person's education than on the type of accommodation. I have already 10 years as president of the community and at the beginning there were more tourist accommodations than regular residents, Over time it has equalized in a similar proportion. The problems we have are normal ones between neighbors, There are none in particular for having tourist accommodation”.
Francisco Arrebola is also the president of two neighborhood communities of Highway and Plaza de la Constitución (in Malaga), and his experience in this sense is “good, normal, It's just people who are on vacation.. The tourist knows that there is someone responsible, who is the manager or owner who rents the home to you, that gives you clear instructions on the rules of coexistence that we have here. Malaga has a cultural offer that attracts good tourism, “It is a family tourism.”. And when asked about possible coexistence problems, he answers: “The biggest party we have had in the building has been for a long-term tenant.”. It seems that only tourists have dinners, birthdays or parties, and owners or long-term tenants do it too”.
Arrebola believes that the owner "is absolutely mistreated by the law when he has a problem of helplessness such as non-payments or 'squatters', and people prefer tourist use or leaving their home empty rather than renting for a long time and having these problems.”, duck.
This is the case of Alberto, who bought a home right after COVID but has moved away to live. “I'm from Malaga, I have gone to Madrid for work and I have decided to put my home as a tourist rental because it gives me many more guarantees and security than a long stay. Also, It is managed by a company that ensures that there are no problems and allows me an income that I can give up when I want to return to Malaga and stay here.”.
The vice president of AVVAPro asks the Malaga City Council to clarify its statements regarding the Tourism records that it has requested from the Andalusian Government to be cancelled., based on the instruction of the Consistory communicated last June. Unfortunately, The situation of the indicated records is being used by groups dissatisfied with the lack of affordable housing and other groups that take advantage of the moment to generalize and extend campaigns of harassment and coercion both on the streets and within some communities against tourists., professionals and employees of the sector. Also against owners who use their homes for short-term rentals, with graffiti, or shouting “go away”, “You are in an illegal home.”, or “that is an illegal apartment”.
These campaigns are causing enormous damage to the image of the city and the 'Costa del Sol' brand.. "If they don't stop, These campaigns will cause thousands of travelers to opt for other, more welcoming destinations to enjoy their vacations., which will result in job losses, reduction in tourism spending and new investments, something we can't give up.", Points Cube.
"In this situation - he adds- We ask the mayor and his councilors to demonstrate, giving security to the sector and citizens, and demanding an end to harassment of both tourists and professionals in the sector. If we don't do anything, and these campaigns continue and spread, the success achieved during the last decades, thanks to the vision and successes of the municipal corporation and the great collective effort of the entire Malaga society, “risks being undermined much faster than we can imagine.”.
On the lack of affordable housing in the city, AVVAPro wishes to reiterate that in Malaga capital, according to official data from the INE, It is only intended for short-term rentals. 2,7% of the total housing stock, while a 14,7% remains empty. Which means that for every tourist home in the city of Malaga there are five empty ones.. With this data alone it is impossible to think that this type of tourist accommodation is responsible for the lack of affordable housing for young people who want to reside in the city..
“We know that the solution to this problem is not simple., but blaming those who objectively do not cause it will distract attention and will never solve it.. We believe that it is quite evident that the cause of the problem is the lack of long-term planning and investment in housing by all our administrations., in addition to the bureaucratic tangle deployed over all the processes related to land development and housing construction, which makes it impossible to build at the pace that demand requires at the moment., especially in successful cities, What is our city like?, explains the vice president of AVVAPro.
Besides, Cubo reminds that the tourist accommodation sector is currently generating in the province of Malaga 21.500 jobs (between direct, indirect and self-employment), which last year had an economic impact of more 3.870 million euros and that this year's forecasts point to exceeding the 4.500 millions of euros, Well, according to provisional data, The average expenditure per tourist has risen this year by 12%.
About AVVAPro
AVVAPro is an organization made up of companies, professionals and owners dedicated to the management of tourist homes and apartments in Andalusia, that provides competitiveness and quality guarantees to this accommodation segment, for the benefit of its users and related community.
The association holds the representation, through its members, from 15.000 tourist homes and apartments and close to 72.000 Accommodation places distributed throughout Andalusia. Also, AVVAPro defends and promotes the general and specific interests of tourist accommodation in the region., forming part of organizations such as the Spanish Federation of Housing Associations and Tourist Apartments (FEVITUR), the Confederation of Businessmen of Andalusia (CEA), the Costa del Sol Tourism Forum, the Plan8 of Seville and the Board of Tourism and Commerce of the City Council of Cádiz.
AVVAPro promotes the positive contribution of tourist homes and apartments to the economy in aspects such as the deconcentration of tourism in saturated areas, deseasonalization and visitor loyalty, the promotion of family tourism, residential and in areas without housing, increasing accessibility and comfort for users, the efficient use of the real estate stock and second homes, and the promotion of the rehabilitation of buildings in historic centers.
