Another gorgeous European town says ‘too many hotels’ as it launches new ban

near Mont Blanc and a popular ski resort in the French Alps, has become the first in France to ban the building of new hotels and holiday flats. With 9,000 permanent residents, Chamonix struggles with a shortage of affordable housing as locals are being priced out of the market. In a new urban plan favouring permanent housing, Mayor Éric Fournier has introduced major limits on new hotels and second homes.

The decision comes as many imposed higher taxes for second-home owners in 2024, while some are considering rules to reduce the number of short-term rentals such as Airbnbs. In 2024, a Scottish part-owner of a hotel in Chamonix told The Times: “Chamonix has changed massively since I first came over 30 years ago, especially in the past 10 or so years, going from a place of scruffy pubs to one with champagne bars.”

Fournier believes that building new homes or converting existing accommodation will provide about 1,000 more homes for residents within 10 years.

The mayor said the plan is also “an opportunity to recall the importance of preserving the town’s exceptional natural resources, which make it attractive and deserve our full attention and commitment in a context of global warming.”

Second-home owners and property investors have been buying properties in Chamonix to rent out to tourists. But Fournier said that while as much as 70% of housing stock in consists of second homes, the majority of chalets and flats remain empty and shuttered for most of the year.

Rental prices are comparable to metropolitan areas, making it almost impossible for families and all year workers to find accommodation.

Loris Velle, who recently moved to Chamonix to work in a sports equipment shop, told France 2 television: “All I could find here was a 24 sq m studio for €1,200 or €1,300 a month. That’s a lot for me so I took a place outside Chamonix.”

According to Fournier, buying a flat or a chalet in Chamonix can cost up to €20,000 per square metre, which is equivalent to prices.

The has previously tried to discourage second home ownership, allowing local authorities to increase second home taxes by up to 60%.

In 2024, out of more than 3,500 communes eligible to apply the surcharge, over 1,500 did, with at least 500 applying the maximum 60% increase, according to The Connexion news outlet.

The French resort town’s decision comes amid a wave of protests across Europe and beyond. In recent months, locals in Spain and Greece, among other spots popular with tourists, have demanded the tourism model change. Local governments in these countries have been warned that many residents blame the housing crisis and high on the large influx of tourists and tourism-centric economy.