Holiday rental associations in Spain: directory and selection criteria

Posted 14 February, 2024

Spain’s holiday rental sector continues to evolve, facing challenges and opportunities within a constantly changing regulatory environment.

This article explores the importance of holiday rental associations in Spain, their role in representing owners and managers, and a selection of organisations and criteria for checking whether their services suit your activity.

The importance of holiday rental associations

Holiday letting in Spain has grown significantly in recent years, driven in large part by the popularity of online platforms such as Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo.

You may also like: The world’s best-known holiday rental websites

This growth has attracted greater attention from local and regional authorities, which have introduced stricter rules to manage tourism’s effects on local communities and support the sector’s sustainability.

Measures such as Barcelona’s Special Urban Plan for Tourist Accommodation (PEUAT) and the Balearic Islands’ Tourism Sustainability Decree have prompted debate and concern among owners and managers because of their restrictions and effects on business viability.

In this context, holiday rental associations play an important role by providing a platform for collaboration, representation and knowledge sharing between holiday accommodation owners and managers.

They are generally non-profit organisations representing members before local, regional and national authorities, as well as other participants in tourism.

Advantages of joining a holiday rental association

Joining a holiday rental association may offer owners and managers several benefits:

Legal advice and representation: associations often provide specialist legal advice and representation in disputes or in response to adverse regulations.
Access to resources and training: associations organise events, seminars and workshops that give members access to current information, good practice and training opportunities.

Professional contacts and networking: membership offers opportunities to meet other professionals, potentially leading to collaboration, strategic partnerships and new business opportunities.
Representation of shared interests: associations work together to advocate policies and rules that benefit the holiday rental sector and protect their members’ interests.
Visibility and credibility: belonging to a recognised association can strengthen a holiday rental business’s visibility and credibility with customers and authorities.

Main holiday rental associations in Spain

The team at Alehost presents a geographical selection of associations below. It is not a complete census of every region and does not, by itself, confirm the current availability of each service:

Andalusia

APARTSUR (Andalusian Association of Non-Hotel Tourist Accommodation).
AVVA PRO (Andalusian Association of Holiday Home and Tourist Apartment Professionals).
ATUMAR (Association of Tourist Apartments in Málaga and the Costa del Sol), formerly Atumarcos.

Aragon

APTUR Aragón (Association of Tourist Apartments and Holiday Homes in Aragon).

Asturias

ARCA (Association of Rural Accommodation in Asturias).

Balearic Islands

AVAT (Association of Holiday Homes in Ibiza and Formentera).
Federación ETV Mallorca (Federation of Holiday Stays in Mallorca).
HABTUR Baleares (Balearic Association of Apartments and Seasonal Rental Homes).
Mallorca Villas (Balearic Association of Tourist and Holiday Villa Businesses).
VITURME (Association of Holiday Home Businesses in Menorca).

Canary Islands

ASCAV (Canary Islands Holiday Rental Association).

Cantabria

ALVACAN (Holiday Rental Association in Cantabria).

Castilla-La Mancha

APTURCAM (Association of Tourist Apartments in Castilla-La Mancha).

Catalonia

FEDERATUR (Catalan Federation of Tourist Apartments).
APARTUR (Association of Tourist Apartments in Barcelona).
ATA (Tourist Apartment Association of the Costa Brava and Girona Pyrenees).
AAT (Association of Tourist Apartments of the Costa Daurada and Terres de l’Ebre).

Valencian Community

APTUR CV (Association of Tourist Apartments in the Valencian Community).
AVAEC (Association of Short-Stay Rental Homes in Valencia).
AEA (Business Association of Rental Homes in the Province of Alicante).
VIUTUR (Association of Small Owners, Managers and Supporters of Holiday Homes in the Valencian Community).

Galicia

AVITURGA (Association of Holiday Homes in Galicia).

La Rioja

ARVUTUR (Association of Holiday Homes in La Rioja).

Madrid

Madrid Aloja (Association of Individuals, Small Owners and Managers of Holiday Rental Homes).

Murcia

Aloja Región de Murcia (Association of Owners and Managers of Holiday Homes and Tourist Apartments in the Region of Murcia).

Navarre

AparturNAparture (Association of Tourist Apartments in Navarre).

Basque Country

APARTURE (Association of Holiday Homes in the Basque Country).
ARABATUR (Association of Tourist Apartments in Álava).
ASOVITUR (Association of Holiday Homes in Bizkaia).

Holiday rental associations play an important role in representing accommodation owners and managers in Spain. Through collaboration, advice and representation, they contribute to sustainable development across the sector and the maintenance of quality standards.

If you own or manage holiday accommodation in Spain, joining an association may be a strategic way to protect your interests and make use of market opportunities.

Check identity, coverage and services

Before joining, review the organisation’s name, territory, contact details, fees and included services. Ask whether legal advice covers general questions or specific cases. An association represents interests, but it does not replace public authorities or guarantee licences.

The official ATUMAR website records the change from Atumarcos. AparturNAparture is the name used by the association in Navarre and should not be confused with Aparture in the Basque Country.

For Madrid, find out more in our guide to sector associations; for national representation, consult FEVITUR.

Contacto