Valencia residents protest tourist hostel conversion in Benicalap

Residents of the Benicalap neighborhood in Valencia are protesting the proliferation of tourist accommodations in residential buildings. The conflict centers on a large ground-floor unit at Encarna Albarracín 6, which is being converted into a 22-room hostel.

Neighbors claim the renovation violates community statutes that prohibit such businesses and involve intrusive structural changes, such as drilling through floors and installing new windows facing common areas. This situation follows similar recent attempts to establish large-scale tourist hubs in other Valencia districts like Russafa and Safranar, which faced municipal opposition.