“Your vacations, my suffering,” the protesters shouted in Barcelona, showcasing banners with messages like “mass tourism suffocates the city” and “their avarice brings us despair.” Uniting under the SET alliance – Sud d’Europa contra la Turistització, the groups from Portugal and Italy contended that unregulated tourism was inflating housing costs and displacing residents from their neighborhoods.
Barcelona, housing 1.6 million residents, welcomed 26 million tourists last year.
Authorities in the northeastern Spanish city reported that approximately 600 participants attended the demonstration, with some wielding water pistols, igniting colored smoke, and placing stickers saying ‘Neighbourhood self-defence, tourist go home’ on shop windows and hotels.
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A hotel worker, visibly upset, confronted the protesters, asserting he was “just working” and not the owner of the venue.
Similar protests unfolded in various locations throughout Spain, including Ibiza, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, San Sebastian, and Granada. In Italy, demonstrators assembled in cities like Genoa, Naples, Palermo, Milan, and Venice, where there is local opposition to two hotels under construction that will introduce around 1,500 new beds to the city, according to organizers who spoke to Reuters.
In response to these concerns, the Barcelona city government announced last year its intention to prohibit tourist apartment rentals by 2028 in order to enhance livability for local residents.
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“I’m very weary of being a burden in my own city. The answer lies in drastically reducing the number of tourists in Barcelona and pursuing an alternative economic model that cultivates prosperity for the city,” Eva Vilaseca, 38, expressed to Reuters at Sunday’s protest in Barcelona, countering the frequent argument that tourism generates jobs and wealth.
Expected international travel expenditure in Europe is set to increase by 11% to $838 billion this year, with Spain and France among the nations anticipated to host record tourist numbers.
(Edited by : Jerome Anthony)
First Published: Jun 15, 2025 9:37 PM IST
