Demonstrations against uncontrolled tourism took place in popular tourist cities in Spain and Italy on Sunday.
Dozens of cities are united by a new transnational network of activists — the Southern European Network against Touristification, created by residents of Spain, Italy, France and Portugal.
Around 600 people took part in a rally in Barcelona. The crowd chanted, “Your holiday is my misery,” and held placards reading, “Mass tourism is killing the city” and “Their greed is destroying us.” Some of them also fired water pistols and stuck stickers on shop windows and hotels saying “Tourists, go home.”
In Venice, protesters want to prevent the construction of two new hotels that could accommodate around 1,500 tourists. Last year, Barcelona, with a population of 1.6 million, welcomed 26 million tourists.
Protests demanding a reduction in tourist numbers have also taken place in other southern European cities, including Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, San Sebastian, Granada and Ibiza in Spain, as well as Genoa, Palermo, Naples, Milan and Venice in Italy.
In 2025, spending on international travel in Europe could grow by 11 per cent to $838 billion. France and Spain are expected to welcome record numbers of tourists.
