35 vacation beds create a job

Lopesan believes that entrepreneurs exploiting a legal vacuum in vacation rentals are “pressuring” housing prices.

The chief executive of Lopesan Hotel Group, José Alba, acknowledged on Thursday that vacation housing (VV) is a “very complex problem.” He warned that some business owners are trying to use a “legal vacuum” to compete unfairly and, in doing so, are driving up housing prices.

Alba made these remarks during an informational meeting organized by Europa Press Canarias under the title “Transformation of the Industries.” The event also featured Anna Quintanilla, general director of Philip Morris Canarias, and Ignacio Muñoz, sustainability director of CaixaBank’s Business Banking in the Canary Islands.

A Housing Crisis Affecting the Whole Archipelago

Alba highlighted that the Canary Islands are suffering a housing crisis that “is affecting the industry and, above all, Canary society.” He explained that residential and tourist zones are “tensioning” each other. Citing data from the Canary government, he noted that there are 350,000 vacation‑rental places, which is “almost the sum of all hotel rooms plus extra‑hotel places.”

He contrasted the two sectors:

• Vacation rentals operate as an alternative business model “without rules,” competing “absolutely unfairly.”
• The hotel sector follows a “well‑defined model” with clear regulations, urban planning, and the necessary infrastructure to support tourism services, generating a “tremendously powerful economy.”

Vacation Housing: 35 Beds for One Job

Alba pointed out a striking efficiency gap:

“Vacation housing needs 35 beds to create a single job, whereas the hotel sector generates one job per room.”

He clarified that he is not opposed to vacation rentals per se, describing them as “a tremendously interesting model that must be absorbed, but with order and regulation.” However, he warned that certain entrepreneurs are “trying to exploit a legal vacuum to engage in unfair competition, and in that unfair competition they are driving up housing prices.”

Call for Stronger Regulation

Alba defended the need for regulation, stating that the current lack of rules is “creating tension in the Canary Islands and in Spain.” He expressed confidence that the regional government’s bold regulatory measures will soon show results.

“We say that the tourism sector cannot be living a tremendous reputational crisis. It is supposed to be the one preying on everything, quietly, in the shadows, having allowed 350,000 vacation‑rental places to grow without any regulation,” he said, concluding, “perhaps the tourism sector is not the one preying on anything.”