Residents Fed Up with Tourism's Harmful Effects

Rising rental prices, housing shortages, environmental degradation and overcrowded public transportation have spurred residents of southern European countriest to take to the streets in protest against the damaging effects of mass tourism. On June 15, coordinated demonstrations are planned across multiple countries and cities.

WORLD MAY 3. 2025 17:54

In recent years, dissatisfaction has been mounting among residents living in popular tourist destinations in the Mediterranean region. In response to what many see as unregulated and harmful mass tourism, protests are being organized across Southern Europe on June 15. The actions are being coordinated by SET – the European Network Against Touristification, which unites activist groups from 17 cities and regions in Spain, Italy, France, and Portugal.

The upcoming protests will take various forms: from marches and tourist bus blockades to symbolic demonstrations at historical landmarks. Some groups have even considered targeting airports directly, although there is no central strategy—each area will decide its own methods,

according to the Swedish news site Samnytt.

In Barcelona, where the most recent meeting of activist groups took place, the gathering ended with a symbolic action in front of the Sagrada Família. A group of protestors surrounded a tourist bus with water guns—a recurring symbol of the protests—and held up a banner promoting the June 15 protest day.

“We don’t want to harm anyone; we just want people to think about how their presence affects these places and the people living here,” said Elena Boschi, an activist and English teacher from Genoa.

In many areas, mass tourism has caused rental and housing prices to skyrocket. In Spain, average rental prices have doubled over the past decade, and since the 2020 pandemic, the number of long-term rental properties has dropped by half. At the same time, short-term rentals—often through platforms like Airbnb—have exploded in both large cities and coastal towns.

This has led to an escalating housing crisis, where ordinary residents can no longer afford to rent homes or live in their own hometowns. In cities like Palma de Mallorca, tens of thousands marched last summer with slogans such as “Mallorca is not for sale” and “No homes without people, no people without homes,” alongside other similar demonstrations.

Similar scenes have unfolded in Madrid, where 150,000 people recently took part in a protest organized by tenants’ associations.

“In Ibiza, the housing situation has become so dire that people are living in tents and cars. Water shortages are a problem and are already starting in the winter, while the population triples in the summer,”

said Maria Cardona, an activist from the island.

Despite growing frustration, many involved in the SET network stress a clear message:

this is not about hating tourists.

“We’re not against people who travel, we’re against a tourism system that is making our homes unlivable. People need to reflect: how would you feel if this was happening in your hometown?”
the organizers emphasized.

Last year, Europe was the most visited tourist region in the world, with 747 million international visitors. Spain alone received 94 million tourists—more than twice its population.

In response to the demonstrations, several municipalities have already taken action. For example, Barcelona plans to ban the conversion of new housing units into short-term rentals starting in 2028.

WORLD

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demonstration, europe, tourism