Spain has imposed a €64 million fine on holiday rental platform Airbnb for promoting unlicensed tourist rental properties, the Consumer Rights Ministry announced on Monday.

The move is part of the government’s effort to rein in excessive tourism that is contributing to rising housing costs.

Spain’s government, together with certain city councils and regional authorities, has been targeting short-term rentals listed on platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com, which many people throughout the country believe reduce the availability of housing for residents and drive up prices.

In July, Airbnb removed 65,000 listings that the ministry identified as violating regulations, Reuters news agency reports.

The fine, the ministry stated, amounts to six times the profit Airbnb earned from the illegal listings and is the second-largest penalty it has ever issued for consumer rights violations, according to Consumer Rights Minister Pablo Bustinduy.

Airbnb has announced that it plans to appeal the decision.

“Airbnb is confident that the ministry actions are contrary to applicable regulations in Spain and we intend to challenge this fine in court,” according to a company spokesperson.

Airbnb stated that short-term rental regulations were updated in July and that it is collaborating with Spain’s Ministry of Housing to implement a new registration system.

“More than 70,000 listings have added a registration number since January,” the company went on to say.

Furthermore, in 2024, Ryanair was fined €108 million in Spain for charging additional fees on cabin baggage.

Earlier this year, the European Commission stated that Spain’s fines on Ryanair and other budget airlines violated regulations.

The ministry underscored that the Airbnb fine is intended to help address Spain’s housing crisis.

“There are thousands of families living on the edge because of housing, while a few get rich from business models that drive people from their homes,” Bustinduy said within the statement.