Puerto de la Cruz considers curbing new holiday rental licences in its tourist quarter

Puerto de la Cruz's tourist quarter, with the iconic Plaza del Charco at its heart, has for years held one of the highest concentrations of holiday lets in northern Tenerife.

A historic quarter saturated with tourist listings

Around Plaza del Charco, local estate agents say it is becoming increasingly difficult to find flats for long-term rental.

Pressure on the traditional rental stock

The result, according to property portals, is a marked rise in residential rents across the whole municipality.

The Council's caution

Council sources confirm that a moratorium or stricter criteria for granting new tourist licences is under consideration.

The debate between the tourism sector and residents

Residents' associations in the old town have long been calling for tighter regulation.

A quarter that pioneered Canarian tourism

Puerto de la Cruz was for decades the Canary Islands' leading tourist destination, before southern Tenerife took off, and that legacy explains the sheer density of accommodation—both licensed and unregistered—that still coexists in its historic quarter today. That tourist past, local historians note, still shapes the urban fabric around Plaza del Charco.

Other municipalities that have already restricted licences

The measure being studied by Puerto de la Cruz Council follows in the footsteps of other Spanish tourist municipalities that have already introduced similar moratoriums. Local council sources acknowledge having studied these precedents before drafting a formula adapted to the reality of the historic quarter.

What holiday rental owners say

Local holiday rental owners' associations argue that their properties have helped prevent much of the old town's building stock from falling into disrepair, and warn that an overly restrictive moratorium could discourage investment in renovation. Local tourism sector sources are calling for a calm debate before any definitive restriction is approved.