Thousands of residents took to the streets across southern Europe on Sunday in dramatic demonstrations against overtourism. In Barcelona alone, around 600 protesters armed with water pistols unleashed coloured smoke, plastered stickers reading “Neighbourhood self‑defence, tourists go home” on shopfronts, and rallied under banners declaring “Mass tourism kills the city” and “Your holidays, my misery”. They united under the coalition ‘Sud d’Europa contra la Turistització’, drawing support from communities in Portugal and Italy.
The protests sprang from deep‑rooted resentment over mass tourism’s outsized impact on urban life. In cities housing less than two million people – like Barcelona – the influx of millions of annual visitors has inflated housing costs, squeezed rental markets, and displaced long‑standing residents. Residents in Venice also voiced opposition to two new hotels adding 1,500 beds, further intensifying worries about cultural dilution and overcrowding.
Critics say that, while tourism brings jobs and revenue, its benefits are unequally shared. One Barcelona protester dismissed economic justifications, arguing that “tourism-driven economies result in low‑paying jobs and displace local residents” and demanding a shift to sustainable prosperity and livable communities. The tension extended beyond Spain, with similar actions in Ibiza, Málaga, San Sebastián, Granada, Lisbon, Genoa, Naples, Palermo and Milan.
Local governments have responded with policy signals. Barcelona has pledged to ban tourist apartment rentals by 2028, while Mallorca’s ban on new holiday lets and the removal of 66,000 illegal Airbnb listings highlight growing momentum for regulation. These protest‑driven reforms seek to restore housing availability and preserve neighbourhood character. Yet international travel spending in Europe is projected to hit $838 billion in 2025, a surge of 11 per cent, which threatens to outpace these interventions.
For travel and tourism leaders, this wave of unrest signals a moment of reckoning. Businesses must engage residents and adapt models to emphasise cultural respect, community benefit and off‑peak visitation. Without such changes, southern European cities may become battlegrounds between tourist demand and livable urban life, a conflict that risks undermining tourism’s long‑term viability.
