Overtourism Triggers Protests in Southern Europe

Thousands of people took to the streets in southern Europe on Sunday to protest against over-tourism, saying that the excessive level of tourism is raising the cost of living, deepening the housing crisis, and making city centers unlivable, Sky News reported. 

Protests broke out in Barcelona, Granada, Ibiza, and Palma in Spain; Lisbon in Portugal; and Venice, Genoa, Palermo, Milan, and Naples in Italy. 

The main demonstrations took place in Barcelona, where people fired water pistols at tourists, stores, and set off colored smoke, according to Reuters. 

Protesters chanted “your holidays, my misery,” while holding up banners reading “mass tourism kills the city” and “their greed brings us ruin.” Some people attached stickers saying “Neighborhood self-defense, tourist go home” on shop windows and hotels.  

The tourists targeted by water pistols in Palma, the capital of Mallorca, laughed it off, the Associated Press noted. The main Balearic Island, where 5,000 demonstrators gathered, is one of the many examples where housing prices have skyrocketed, as many places are being converted to short-term rentals. Locals say they can’t afford to live in their neighborhoods anymore. 

Last year, 26 million tourists visited Barcelona, a city of 1.6 million people. The city government had said that it would prohibit short-term rentals to tourists by 2028 to make life in the city more affordable for residents.  

In Venice, locals protested to oppose the construction of two hotels that will add around 1,500 new beds to the city. 

Spain is expecting 99 million tourists in 2025, a record, as the world’s second-most popular destination after France. 

Anti-tourism protests have become more common in southern Europe over the past few years. Still, tourism made up 12 percent of Spain’s economy last year.