In the capital Madrid and about 30 other cities, activists and trade unions have arranged protest marches that gathered thousands of people on Saturday.
"Throw Airbnb out of our neighborhood", demonstrators chanted in the largest demonstration in Madrid, holding up placards with messages against short-term rentals.
The organizers estimated a participation of between 100,000 and 150,000 people in Madrid, a figure that the government has reduced to 15,000. Also in Malaga, Seville, and Granada, and several other cities, thousands of people have demonstrated.
Large crowds have also protested on the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands against what is seen as the government's passivity in the face of the crisis on the housing market, reports public service company RTVE.
Speculation and short-term rentals have hit the Spanish housing market particularly hard. Spanish wages have not kept pace with housing costs, and seeing apartments being rented out for high short-term rents to tourists sparks anger, not least among young Spaniards.
On average, the median rent in Spain has almost doubled over the past ten years. The government has tried to resolve the situation by introducing a mechanism for rent ceilings in regions, but the measure has not proven particularly effective.
