A tourism development licence (licencia de obra para uso turístico) is a special authorisation that allows construction in certain areas where residential building is generally not permitted.
The key condition is that any buildings constructed must subsequently be used for tourism purposes. For this reason, although these licences are granted by the local council, they also require approval from the Island Council (Cabildo) in the form of a provisional classification report.
There is no explicit prohibition on later using such buildings as permanent residences. However, doing so would be contrary to the intended purpose of the regulations.
Regardless of the location of the plot, there is a maximum number of tourist places (beds) allowed, depending on the size of the plot. As a general rule, between 20 m² and 35 m² of built area per tourist place is permitted. There is no strict limit on the number of buildings.
In addition, obtaining a tourism development licence always implies an ancillary agricultural use of the land.
The minimum plot size (in areas not designated for residential use) is 2,500 m².
