Anti-tourism protests erupt across Europe as locals say holidaymakers are driving them out
15 June 2025, 18:01 | Updated: 16 June 2025, 05:18
Anti-tourism protests have taken place across Spain, Italy, Portugal as locals claim the excessive number of holidaymakers is making city centres unusable.
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Demonstrators are calling for a curb on mass tourism, saying it has driven locals out of affordable housing and raised the cost of living.
Anti-mass tourism demonstrations were planned in Barcelona, where organisers encouraged protestors to bring water pistols to spray at holidaymakers.
Protests were also organised in seven other Spanish cities, including Granada, Palma and Ibiza - and were also seen in the Portuguese capital Lisbon.
Italian hotspots Venice, Genova, Palermo, Milan and Naples also hosted demonstrations.
They are the latest in a growing number of protests from residents living in popular tourist destinations in recent years.
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Daniel Pardo, one of the organisers of the Barcelona protest, said: "It is very likely the water pistols will be back.
"In fact, we encourage people to bring their own."
Txema Escorsa, who lives in a two-bedroom apartment in Barcelona's residential Gràcia neighbourhood, also said: "It is tough for me to imagine what to do next.
"If I leave, will I be contributing to Barcelona losing its essence that comes from its locals? But there comes a time when I'm fed up."
In Ibiza, dozens have started living in makeshift camps with no electricity, water or waste services.
The Menys Turisme Mes Vida (Less Tourism More Life) campaign told Sky News: "We say enough to the destruction of the territory, to the precariousness, to the housing crisis, to the loss of rights."
Jaime Rodriguez de Santiago, Airbnb's general director for Spain and Portugal, said that "a lot of our politicians have found an easy scapegoat to blame for the inefficiencies of their policies in terms of housing and tourism over the last 10, 15, 20 years".
He added: "If you look at the over-tourism problem in Spain, it has been brewing for decades, and probably since the 60s."
Hotels are still the leading accommodation for tourists, Mr Rodríguez de Santiago says, noting that local data shows hotels in Barcelona accounted for 20 million tourists in 2024, compared with 12 million who used homes.
The Airbnb boss added that Barcelona's mayor Jaume Collboni has backed the expansion of the city's international airport.
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