"It would be shameful if the regulation of tourist housing were influenced by these people"
- For decades, agents and neighbors of the Casco Viejo de Vitoria-Gasteiz have denounced the neighborhood model that is driven by the City Hall, based on tourism and gentrification. The last side of this model is that of tourist homes, which have raised opposing voices in the neighborhood. We have talked to Manu Arakama, the Gasteiz Txiki neighbourhood association, the reasons for the contradiction, what can come and how to stop it. And the illegal actions of the main drivers of the housing tourism, which ARGIA has made known.
Gustavo Antéa has been a councillor of the PP in the City Hall of Vitoria-Gasteiz and is a member of the Board of Administration of the 21 Ensanche Public Society, who has led the urbanism of the city since 2015. How do you value a person with such responsibilities doing business with illegal tourist weights?
The decisions taken in enlargement 21 allow for enormous speculation on housing; the policies that this person has supported have made housing channelled into tourism. We could understand that in times of crisis there are families looking in tourist homes for a more dignified life, but we are not prepared to accept speculative and limitless use, let alone the fact of a position of power outside the law.
"The policies supported by the preliminary draft have made housing a tourist destination as a hayedo"
The Arabatur association presented an allegation in the City Hall that the regulations allow all the houses of the neighborhood to be destined for tourism. Its president, Pilar Perosanz, is both the manager of the company Luxury, dedicated to the exploitation of illegal tourist weights of Antépa.
Arabatur's only goal is speculation, making as much money as possible, and along that road, culture, person, heritage, neighborhood life -- and it seems that norm and legislation also matters to him.
Many agents of the neighborhood have shown themselves against tourist homes. Why?
Because the precarious housing situation would be even more precarious. We have talked to people who work in real estate and we have been warned that tourist homes are the ones that bring gentrification, the rise in the price of housing and the reduction of rental possibilities.
The municipal government PNV-PSE has the direct responsibility of: Its neighborhood model for the Casco Viejo is tourist oriented and does not take into account the neighbors. In parallel to the tourist homes we have seen how hotels, hostels or a certain hospitality model are promoted. They have just opened a 42-seat pension on Kanpokale Berria Street.
"The municipal government PNV-PSE has the direct responsibility of: Its neighborhood model for the Casco Viejo is tourist oriented and does not consider neighbors"
The homes offered on the Internet are much more than registered. Do you think the municipal government knows about these illegal practices?
We believe it does and it tends to hide. It officially recognizes the existence of 78 tourist homes in the city and 22 in the Casco Viejo. The City Council undertook to admit tourist homes only on the first floors, but taking advantage of the lack of specific regulations and the legal vacuum that is coming, many are located on the second and third floors.
In 2020, the Municipal Government made a proposal to regulate the tourism of the houses of the Casco Viejo, Arabatur presented allegations and the Municipal Government partially approved it, then the allegations presented by the neighbors requesting the general prohibition promoted by Gasteiz Txiki. Three years have passed and the neighborhood is still unregulated. What do you expect?
The City Council will continue to promote tourist accommodation in one way or another, not least because there are interests of certain local people to do so.
As reported to us by nationalist Ana Oregon [councillor in charge of the area department], we believe that the idea of the current government is to allow tourist housing on the lower and upper floors. We are against it.
"Their political position and economic power means that these people can foresee what will happen and draw up medium- and long-term plans"
It is noteworthy that the regulations of tourist housing approved for the neighborhood condition the lobbying works in Arabatur, seeing who is behind them and how they are being played.
It would be shameful if these people made the new rules conditional. And one factor that made it more denounceable must be taken into account: their political position and their economic power mean that these people can foresee what will happen and make long-term plans. We appeal to neighbours and neighbours to denounce the opening of a new tourist accommodation, hotel or accommodation. And, on the other hand, agree to its prohibition at portal meetings and its inclusion in community statutes. Since we proposed this, a debate has been opened in the neighbourhood around tourist homes, putting an effective obstacle to speculation.
Donostia Turismoak apirilaren 10etik aurrera jarriko du neurria indarrean, eta derrigorrez bete beharko da, bestela isunekin zigortuko dutelako gidari turistikoa.
Turismoari buruzko pertzepzioaz galdetu die EHUk donostiarrei, eta ondorioztatu du herritarren erdiak baino gehiagok “frustrazioa” sentitzen duela. Donostiako Udalak eta Eusko Jaurlaritzak finantzatu dute ikerketa.
