Horeca Hoteles Zaragoza has urged the City Council of the Aragonese capital to urgently approve a specific municipal regulation that organizes Tourist Use Homes (VUT) in the city, given what it considers a situation close to «alarm thresholds» in certain areas.
According to sector data for November 2025, Zaragoza has over 800 registered VUT, totaling around 3,000 beds. This figure is supplemented by an estimate of between 200 and 290 illegal tourist homes, which represents over an additional 30% on the legal offer. These are primarily concentrated in the Historic Center, the area around El Tubo, and central zones.
The sector estimates that potential annual revenue linked to this irregular activity could reach 4 million euros in the capital, which, in their opinion, demonstrates the economic dimension of the phenomenon and the impact of the underground economy.
Horeca Hoteles points out that the lack of a clear municipal ordinance, accompanied by effective inspection and sanctioning mechanisms, favors the expansion of the irregular offer and creates legal uncertainty. Business owners demand explicit urban planning criteria for the issuance of the mandatory and binding report stipulated in regional regulations, in order to ensure homogeneous application and avoid inequalities.
The organization argues that regulating VUT is necessary to protect neighborhood coexistence, facilitate access to housing, and preserve local commerce. It also emphasizes the importance of ensuring a level playing field in fiscal, labor, and health conditions among all tourism operators.
Horeca Hoteles Zaragoza insists that its proposal does not seek to prohibit the activity, but rather to plan it and provide a stable and technically solid framework that allows for the management of sector growth without improvisation.
The Association of Hotel Entrepreneurs of Zaragoza and its province, founded in 1977, is the main organization in the accommodation sector in the province and acts as an interlocutor with public administrations and social agents.
