Spain's revolt: Angry locals clash with tourists over mass influx
This season, tourists are exceptionally unwelcome in Spain. Protests on beaches in popular resorts, soaking holidaymakers with water, and shouting offensive slogans - unfortunately, these are increasingly common sights. "Tourists go home" has become a slogan without which Spaniards do not venture into the city.
Spaniards' frustration with mass tourism is growing. Although the holiday season is just starting, there have already been at least a dozen demonstrations in the country. The largest protests against mass tourism have been organized in the Balearic Islands, Andalusia, the Basque Country, Catalonia, and the Canary Islands. Some have even undertaken hunger strikes there.
"Tourists go home!"
Over the weekend, more than 20,000 people protested in Barcelona. Over 100 civic organisations initiated the event. A march under the slogan "Enough. Let's Set Limits on Tourism" passed through La Rambla, Barcelona's main promenade. Protesters cordoned some restaurants with tape, making it clear to tourists that they wanted nothing to do with them.
In videos posted online, protesters can be seen shooting water pistols at tourists. In some places, arguments and even scuffles broke out.
Angry Barcelonanians marching through the city chanted, among other things, "Stop the chaos!" "Tourists go home!" and "Dignified life in Barcelona!" Cardboard banners bore inscriptions: "End mass tourism!" "Give us back our city!" and "Everything has its limits!" Such slogans are increasingly seen on the walls of buildings in many Spanish cities. There have also been cases where slogans were spray-painted on cars with foreign number plates.
A few days ago, residents of the Canary Islands once again protested against mass tourism. But that's not the end, as resident associations of Alicante and the Balearic archipelago have called on the local community to unite and participate in similar demonstrations next Saturday, 13 July, and the following Sunday, 21 July.
Residents have their say, and tourists have their own
Interestingly, the protests do not deter tourists at all. Many laugh in the residents' faces during the demonstrations and even show signs of contempt, like the middle finger.
The crowds were and will be, as evidenced by National Statistics Institute (INE) data. In the first five months of 2024 alone, Spain was visited by as many as 33 million holidaymakers from abroad, an absolute record for these months. Between January and May this year, there was a 13.6% increase in tourists compared to the same period in 2023.
Although residents do not like mass tourism, the truth is that millions of tourists mean billions of euros in revenue for the national economy. According to PAP, as of May this year, foreign tourist expenditures in Spain exceeded 43.2 billion euros, a 21.8% increase over the same period last year.
Lidia Sanchez from Isla Magica Amusement Park in Seville believes that the influx of tourists helps stimulate jobs in specific sectors of the economy. However, as she noted in an interview with PAP, it also has downsides. Residents of cities and towns popular among holidaymakers suffer, as they cannot afford to buy or rent apartments due to rapidly rising property prices, added Sanchez.
In her opinion, the biggest beneficiaries of the tourist influx are the gastronomic establishments in city centres.
Restrictions do not help
It is worth noting that many municipalities restricted the rental of private properties to tourists years ago. Areas have also been designated for the construction of hotel facilities in many resorts. Some municipalities have also introduced or increased so-called tourist taxes.
Such restrictions have been implemented recently in the Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, and Catalonia, but they have not limited the mass influx of tourists.
In Barcelona, tourists, besides hotels, can choose from about 10,000 private apartments for rent. At the end of June, Barcelona's mayor, Jaume Collboni, announced that the city would no longer issue permits for tourism rentals in five years. Still, resident organisations argue that this deadline is too distant. They accuse the town hall of contributing to rising rental prices.
The fact is that since 2014, average rental prices in the Catalan capital have increased by 70%.
Interestingly, local councillors increasingly experience the effects of mass tourism themselves, the chaos, and, above all, the rising living costs. - I used to live in the city centre myself. Over time, rental prices rose beyond my means, forcing me to move from Seville to the outskirts. Today, I take the train to work, like many local officials - says Ana Gamero, an employee of a shop in the centre of Andalusia's capital, to PAP.
She admitted that thanks to mass tourism, Spain records record profits, but residents get nothing from it. The average Spaniard today experiences very little if any, financial benefits from mass tourism, the Spaniard concluded in an interview with PAP.
