'Without fear there is no change': Furious protesters to target holidaying Brits at airports and tourist hotspots
26 April 2025, 01:26 | Updated: 26 April 2025, 09:47
Anti-tourism protests are set to target Brits arriving at European airports and summer hotspots in these popular holiday destinations.
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British tourists looking to soak up the sun in popular European destinations may be faced with a spate of anti-tourism protests.
Locals' resentment has been fueled by the soaring cost of living, with many residents blaming tourists for driving up rents and pushing locals out of their homes.
Some furious locals believe that accommodation is being reserved for tourist holiday homes and land purchased for building hotels.
Disgruntled locals in hotspots including Spain, Italy, France and Portugal have reportedly refused to rule out targeting airports, further intensifying their opposition to mass tourism, The Mirror reported.
Read more: UK travel firm suddenly announces it is closing - with all future holidays cancelled
One protestor, Elena Boschi, an English language teacher from the Italian riviera, told The Mirror: “We want tourists to have some level of fear about the situation – without fear there is no change.”
She added: “Our cities and regions are not for sale and there is an urgent need to limit the growth of tourism, demand a change of course and decide on a path to tourism de-growth as a way out.”
Daniel Pardo, leader of SET European Network Against Touristification, said each territory "will decide how they want to take action" and there is "no one set strategy".
The organisation is comprised of protest groups from 17 cities, islands and communities in southern Europe.
Representatives from each area have convened for a three-day summit to put an end to what they call "predatory tourism".
The group believe tourism has led to people being "unable to pay the high rents or buy a home", with beaches and natural areas left "visibly damaged".
In the past 10 years, rents in Spain have doubled and house prices have increased by more than 44% in the same period.
Meanwhile, since the pandemic, the supply of residential rentals has halved.
Short-term rentals have increased quickly as major cities and coastal destinations make way for holidaymakers.
Last summer, mass-protests took place in the Balearic and Canary Islands, as well as in the mainland cities of Barcelona and Málaga.
In the Catalan capital, water guns were fired at diners at outdoor restaurants, guests were also stopped from leaving hotels as protesters taped up their exists and started chanting abuse.
The rising resentment towards mass tourism was evident earlier this year in Ibiza, where a key viewing point, Es Vedra, was dramatically blocked off with boulders.
The famous spot, where thousands of tourists typically gather to watch the sunset, was declared off-limits by frustrated landowners who were fed up with the overwhelming crowds.
At the time, a sign read: "Private Property. Restricted Access."
The incident in Ibiza, though a visible sign of growing tensions, pales in comparison to the violent protests that erupted last week in Tenerife.
Activists reportedly torched and vandalized a fleet of rental cars in a shocking act of protest. Disturbing footage circulating online shows masked individuals setting fire to around 20 hire cars in the popular Costa Adeje resort, a hotspot for British tourists.
Last year, 15,000 anti-tourism activists protested in the streets of Majorca, expressing anger over the spike in property prices on the Balearic island over the last decade.
There were chants of “tourists go home” by the activists, who were holding banners with the message “Salvem Mallorca, guiris arruix” which in Catalan Spanish means “let's save Majorca, foreigners out”.
Another banner translated to: “Wherever you look, they're all guiris.”
“Guiri” is a colloquial term used to describe holidaymakers who are renowned for heavy drinking, often in an offensive manner.
