In Miami Platja, south of the Costa Dorada, there is a large concentration of apartments. According to data from the City Council of Mont-roig (Baix Camp), 1,962 homes for tourist use registered in a nucleus with just over 7,400 residents. In the extensive municipal area, with twenty urbanizations and 12 kilometers of coastline, there are almost 3,000 rental apartments.
It is enough to take a walk through Miami Platja to see that when autumn arrives the tourist center languishes, despite the fact that the climate crisis lengthens the sun and beach season. More business for renting apartments in a town with hardly any hotel offer. “It's like we have 12,000 beds. There is a lot of demand, that is why there is so much supply of tourist rentals,” says Fran Morancho, its mayor.
The anomalous situation has been reflected in the Idescat report, although the percentage of non-main homes would be much higher if data were only available for Miami Platja, the object of desire for decades of European retirees, many French, and of Spanish families with the dream of the second residence.
The phenomenon has forced a move. Last week, the City Council suspended the granting of licenses for housing for tourist use for a whole year. The reason is to look for regulatory formulas to guarantee access to rentals for neighbors who want to live here all year round.
These are homes that are withdrawn or are no longer incorporated into the traditional rental market. “It is the Airbnb movement and it causes problems of coexistence. Many young people cannot stay to live even though there are many second homes. It is more affordable to rent for three months,” adds the mayor. Mont-roig, looking for alternatives, is betting on industrialization, but many of the workers will have to look for a home abroad if there is no turnaround.
