How will the recent anti-tourist protests in Spain affect the future of European travel?

So the wealthy who are also well behaved. The poo folk we send to mirror cities? Interesting.

I guess my only issue with the article is the over generalization of the tourist numbers this year. Would have taken two sentences to express more concisely but then it would be hard to imply this was a European Crisis and we need as large a crisis as possible to sell clicks.

Another interesting side note, in my tourism dependent city the largest single group of tourists comes from Spain. Maybe they are spending their hard earned tourist money? Happy to have them, cause tourism here is still not at pre-pandemic levels and that appears to be not uncommon in much of Central/Eastern Europe.

I am curious if this is a sensational news story? We will be going to Madrid in late September. We've never encountered anti touristic behavior in perhaps a dozen trips to Europe. I suppose if you go one street over it might be calmer. Has anyone else seen anti tourist actions? I know the cruise ships can be a problem.

The numbers of tourists visiting "tourism sites" all over the world is getting overwhelming. Many national parks in the US have instituted permit systems to try to control the overuse and overcrowding in what is supposed to be natural, open areas. I spend part of the year in a small mountain town in Colorado, and every May the locals start dreading the "crazy season". Roads get clogged, it's impossible to shop at the grocery store, and you risk your life trying to walk across the street. So it's not just a European thing.

I have conflicting thoughts. It certainly is becoming more of a concern in many major European destinations. Athens, Greece is dealing with it and having to limit the number of visitors to the Acropolis. Venice is grappling with over tourism with mixed success. Cinque Terre has become Cinque Terror.

I'm reminded of a conversation with our Walks of Italy guide back in December 2015. She has been a guide in Rome for over 30 years. She said she noticed a significant uptick in tourist crowds when more cruise ships began to dock at Civitavecchia. I'm sure it's gotten even worse after the opening of the new terminal there in 2018.

She said that the problem was much more than the numbers of cruise ship day trippers, that the behavior of these day trippers was troubling. She pointed out that they were in a panic, trying to see too much. This makes them aggressive. They feel entitled because they need to get back to the ship and they will actually shove other tourists out of their way. Personally, we have had so many bad experiences with cruise ship day trippers that we avoid places where the cruise ships dock.

Cruise ship destinations have also calculated that the infrastructure needed to support them was not compensated with additional revenue. As mentioned, it also has a big negative effect on the quality of life of the residents. My family has been in Charleston, SC since colonial days. Charleston. There have been numerous problems and the city will allow the contract with Carnival to expire. Closer to home, Savannah looked at the problems that Charleston and other areas have had and decided not to build a cruise ship port. They feared the lovely historic district, already having to deal with crowds, would be overrun with cruise ship day trippers.

What a surfacial and blue-eyed article. I am again and again astonished about the poor quality of US American journalism, esp. in this topic. For sure there may be also journalists with ambition level and a bse of know-how but I seem not to be able to find them.

5 EUR per day are not working? Oh, what a surprise; because European tourists (the majority in most parts of Europe) are used to pay this amount of money for just staying a day in a less famous tourist spot, e. g. 3.50 EUR in Heiligenhafen. Beautiful but a no-name in international tourism. Btw this kind of day guest tax is over 500 years old; and called Kurtaxe (i intentionally share the german Wiki entry) for example in special health oriented locations - and good air is / was enough. I know this from my own childhod with stays at North Sea. And this is not a night stay tax which can be even higher.

And reactions on overtourism are not a number-driven thing. Copenhagen has higher guest numbers per 1,000 inhabitants than Barcelona and they reward tourists for environmental oriented behaviour, see CopenPay for example. A main question could be how much the local people are impacted and suffer from tourist-driven disturbing developments.

It seems that the overwhelming number of post pandemic tourists is drawing calls for “luxury tourism” rather than mass tourism. Simply put, they want to cater to fewer bigger spenders rather than masses of budget tourists.

Spain tried to separate already by naming advice of islands: Mallorca for the big spenders, Menorca for the low spenders; but nobody seemed to understand this (just kidding).

Finally all the market researches overlook one crucial development in the generation slices - Gen Alpha is the newest. Parallel to all these year-of-birth driben slices assuming that they share common interests there is a "Gen H": the Generation Heritage has enough money to afford nearly everything and are not keen to any limitations. The earlier capitalism rule that the market will regulate itself is trespassed by results of wealth management.

In response to Bill’s post, I think the bad behavior by tourists isn’t the main issue. There are also numerous more serious economic issues, to include the fact that property owners are converting so many rental apartments into Airbnb’s that there is an affordable housing shortage in places like Barcelona. Additionally, although we found the prices incredibly cheap during this last trip, many people in Spain are complaining about high inflation and low wages. The average yearly salary in Spain is approximately €30,000 which is extremely low by American standards.

They’ll always be happy to have Americans. American tourists are the biggest spenders in Europe, which makes sense because it’s a big, expensive trip so you’re not going to scrimp on the experience once you arrive.

What they don’t want are loads of Europeans flying in on budget airlines, staying in airbnbs and spending minimal amounts on food and drink.

Helen,

Perhaps, but the last few times I’ve been to Europe the largest population of tourists I saw have been Chinese. It’s not even close.

My wife and I were in Spain early this year. We saw few Chinese tourists. It certainly was not majority or plurality. Likewise last year in Ireland, we saw few Chinese tourists. Pre-Covid, I believe the Chinese were one of largest sources of tourists-- if I recall correctly. While their tourism has recovered, it was not apparent to me that they have returned to their prior levels.

We have not seen anti-tourism protests ourselves but we can certainly understand locals being concerned with rising rents, tourist crowding and the like. I regularly scan the Olive Press which is English language Spain travel website and there is much coverage of the protests. Their reporting is that there is some singling out of British tourists.

Situation in Spain is still critical because the youth unemployment ratio is higher than 25% (since too many years); and jobs in tourism are not a serious alternative for most of them.

Not sure about the expenses from traveler groups of different countries in Spain - also the per day and total stay expenses. I guess that for obvious reasons travelers from US stay shorter in a country / at a place than most of European travelers.

Torists from countries with leading state fund(s) can likely ask first what at a destination may belong to their country.

The Chinese are only just allowed to travel again after several years due to the strict covid lockdowns there. I think it will take a while for tourist numbers to ramp back up. China is increasingly cut off from the West culturally so I think perhaps general public interest in travelling abroad is less strong than it was.

Not that long ago, a few decades in Europe most only had summer vacation and a weekend trip in the shoulder season. For the locals good for their economie. If there was annoyance it was just for a few weeks and everybody knew it was over after a while. Mass tourism was concentrated along the Mediterranean Sea and all in all there was a good balans between tourism and the locals.

Nowadays it’s all year around everywhere and at a much more massive scale. And that attracts investment compagnies, meaning cruise ships, budget airlines, holiday parks, Airbnb with an agressive policy towards local governments. That has effect on the housing market, prices go up so many can’t afford a home anymore. And with that for many the cost of living becomes too high.

So the locals feel more and more the burden of tourism and get the feeling they have to step aside for others interests. Disrupting their way of living. For me no surprise people start complaining.

And as mass tourism keeps growing think it becomes harder to find a good balance, hopefully it will.

Is spending by tourists helping pay for the infrastructure of popular tourist locations, to the benefit of locals on some level?

Some destinations feel that cruise ships have an overall negative economic effect. The infrastructure expenditures are mostly for the benefit of the cruise industry. Day trippers tend to spend relatively little, they may buy some trinkets aimed at them or a snack or two. The overwhelming economic impact is for jobs directly related to the cruise industry. Here's one viewpoint.

Yup, some people in some destinations, at times the majority do feel that way. So here is a list of cruise ship restrictions that I found. There are something like 300 cruise ship ports in Europe and these are the ones that come up with every google. But lets say that these are only the big ones and the number isnt 8, its reall twice that.

This was the most informative list that i quoted below. Read More: https://www.explore.com/1459617/cruise-ship-travel-banned-cities/

It doesnt talk about the ports that just jacked up the prices. I doubt that deters many ships. Just adds a few dollars to the cruise ticket.

Venice
With the UNESCO World Heritage Committee threatening to dub Venice an endangered city due to proof that ships were taking a toll on its infrastructure, it had no choice but to give cruises the boot. So, not really about tourist numbers

Bruges
a rule that only two cruise ships can moor in the city at a time. The goal is to bring in more "quality" tourists, Hmmmmm, I resemble that remark

Barcelona
In October 2023, the city finally made a move to resolve the issue and tackle overtourism. Barcelona is officially off limits to cruises and ferries, which must stop at Moll d'Adossat — a pier 30 minutes away from the city center — instead. Those that do divert to the more distant port are also limited, with only seven cruise ships allowed to port per day. And I am supposed to believe that people will stay away over a 30 minute transfer?

Norwegian fjords
By 2026, only zero-emission ships will be permitted to pass through the west fjords (which basically makes them off-limits to all medium and large cruiseliners). Doesn’t sound tourism number cutting inspired.

Amsterdam
In July 2023, the city council decided to make Amsterdam's main terminal off-limits to the vessels that dock there each year. This decision was made to prevent cruise lines from contributing to overtourism. But where is the secondary terminal? 30 minutes away?

Palma de Mallorca
the former local government implemented a new rule that only three ships can dock in the city at a time until 2026. May not be going over well with the locals.

Santorini
The number of passengers allowed to come ashore was capped at 8,000 per day,

Dubrovnik
starting with a limit of two cruise ships per morning (and an additional ship in the afternoon) and a maximum of 5,000 passengers a day.

OK, so first of all, how many ships were coming per day, up until this point?!?

There are about 90 cruises expected for August in Barcelona. 800 total in a year.

That’s roughly 300,000 extra people swamping the relatively compact Ciutat Vella (old town area) in a single month (3.5 million a year), triple the 100k local population for the Ciutat Vella district. With 3 tourists for every 1 local I am hearing much less of Catalan in Barcelona especially the old town. Last summer I mustered my courage and made a “safari” in the Barrio Gotico. Absolutely swamped with tourists going every which way, with no local life in sight, has become a giant shopping mall. Public transportation in the area is totally full and over-taxed, overflowing with tourists.

This is an interesting discussion but I wish someone would chime in with what the people of Barcelona actually want? An end to tourism? That would probably finish destroying an already wounded economy. A limit to tourism? How exactly is that achieved and who decides? I also come from a city that depends heavily on tourism and tourists are welcomed with open arms, warts and all, because the locals don’t bite the hand that feeds them. The few times where groups of tourists were turned away, like rowdy spring breakers, the tourist industry suffered, and ultimately regretted the decision. You can’t have it both ways.

Yes and those numbers only account for the cruise ship passengers.

In total almost 10 million tourists visited Barcelona last year, compare that with only 100k local residents in the old town where most of the tourists go, or even 1.5 million total local residents in the whole city. Now you see why some locals feel so strongly about the overtourism issue in Barcelona.

I wish someone would chime in with what the people of Barcelona actually want? An end to tourism?

Tourism in Barcelona, while economically beneficial in the short term, has brought about a series of negative effects that have significantly impacted the city. One issue is the unequal distribution of the wealth generated by tourism. Although the sector does contribute to the city's GDP (12%) and employment (9%), the revenue is not equitably distributed, and many of the jobs it creates are insecure, low-skilled, and temporary.

The influx of tourists has led to an overuse of natural resources and heightened pressure on the city's infrastructure and public spaces. This has strained the capacity of these facilities and services, resulting in increased maintenance costs and reduced quality of life for residents. Additionally, tourism has driven the gentrification process in Barcelona. The demand for tourist accommodations has interfered with the residential housing market, reducing the availability of affordable rental housing and driving up property prices, which displaces locals and alters the social fabric of neighborhoods.

The socio-cultural effects of tourism are also significant. The proliferation of souvenir shops, bars, restaurants, and other businesses that specifically cater to tourists has standardized commerce and eroded the unique character of local neighborhoods. This commercialization diminishes the city's cultural authenticity and has led to a loss of community identity in many neighborhoods. The Barrio Gotico is a shell of its former self, nothing more than a Disneyland attraction at this point.

Moreover, the concentration of tourism in specific areas, particularly the city center and popular sites like Sagrada Familia and Barceloneta beach, has caused overcrowding and disrupted the daily lives of residents. Public green spaces, which are essential for the well-being of city inhabitants, are heavily utilized by tourists, reducing their accessibility and utility for locals. The public transport network is similarly affected, with key metro and bus lines experiencing high demand, which can inconvenience regular commuters.

The negative effects of tourism on Barcelona include economic inequality, job insecurity, resource overuse, infrastructural strain, gentrification, loss of cultural authenticity, overcrowding, and disruption of daily life for residents. We don't want no tourism just sustainable tourism and management practices to mitigate adverse impacts and ensure a balanced coexistence between tourism and the local community.

Carlos,

It sounds like Barcelona is dealing with the growing pains associated with dynamic city with lots to offer. Are you actually proposing some type of redistribution of income generated from tourism? As for the city’s is poor infrastructure, I completely agree. That is an issue. However, it sounds like that is a problem that local government needs to address.

Currently there are a lot of ideas floating around for how to tackle the overtourism problem, but no silver bullet yet, likely a combination of strategies. The issues are plain to see though, and the newly elected city government in Barcelona, especially our new mayor seem eager to meet the problem head on, like banning Airbnb, moving the docking area for cruise ships away from the old town, and imposing a tourist tax adjusted for different kinds of tourists. They are building a brand new cruise ship terminal in Tarragona, about 1:30 hour south of Barcelona, that will hopefully also relieve some of the cruise ship pressure.

No cruise ships dock in Bruges. They physically can not get there. They dock in Zeebrugge.

Not everyone gets off a ship in a port, and relatively few ships are 6000 pax capacity. If people shunned the mega ships like me they wouldn't be being built. For me anything over 1500 is too big, and that's pushing it.

This forum does not help the situation there, as it only ever suggests Ghent and Bruges from Zeebrugge.

Brussels never finds favour. The town of Ypres (English spelling) is also within independent day trip range, as another example among many possibles.

No one apart from me ever suggests making a day of exploring the coast using the tram. There is always a proportion of passengers who do not follow the herd, but who do their research and do other things from any port. Yes I have been to Zeebrugge enough times (mainly by ferry) that I have done all the big money sights. I can both read timetables and a watch and seldom need the umbilical cord of ship excursions.

If people on here are really serious about over tourism, they should likewise be spreading their wings.

I did the same in Barcelona off a cruise. I did my own thing well "off piste", and didn't just follow everyone to the same few tourist attractions in the same small area. And actually used public transport.

Well Carlos, all politics aside, it sounds like just as in the fairytale Barcelona is trying to “Goldilocks” their tourism industry. Not too many, not too poor, not from cruise ships, not in an Airbnb. They must be just right. Be careful what you wish for. Tourists can be fickle and once the euros are gone, they are gone. Respectfully, from what I can see Barcelona and the rest of Spain for that matter lack the industrial capacity and manufacturing wherewithal to be self-sustaining. The things that do generate income are the beautiful and historically significant locations and art that is being shared with the world. How the revenue is distributed, and whether the politicians use it to improve infrastructure and daily life, or to line their own pockets is an internal matter. But chasing away tourism would be a fatal blow to an economy which is far from healthy.

Barcelona and the rest of Spain for that matter lack the industrial capacity and manufacturing wherewithal to be self-sustaining. But chasing away tourism would be a fatal blow to an economy which is far from healthy.

I'm not too sure what you are talking about, but perhaps you're thinking of Spain of the '70s. You might be surprised to hear that today tourism only accounts for about 11% of our total GDP in Spain, compare that to the United States where tourism accounts for 8% of total GDP, not so different.

We are not some kind of banana republic in Spain, our economy is quite diversified. We are the second biggest automotive manufacturing country in Europe behind Germany, 3rd in wine and 1st in olive oil global production, the leading producer of fruit and vegetables in Europe, as well as strong banking, renewable energy, and pharmaceutical sectors. Not to mention our sports teams bring in a lot of revenue, we just won both Wimbledon and the Euro cup on the same day. FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are some of the most valuable sports brands in the world. Spain also leads the EU in film and TV production, with Netflix, Amazon, Disney, and Apple all having recently opened production hubs in Spain. Inditex, a Spanish fashion company (think ZARA), is the 4th largest in the world, just behind Dior and Nike.

Income from tourism is nice, but we don't need it to survive, especially at the level when it's destroying our historic cities and local culture. Maybe this is difficult for an American to hear, but money isn't everything.

Fully agree to Carlos.

I like to add that Spanish people are known for their good education - a lot of them work in Germany's industrial and Internet economy. They are sought-after and welcome employees in German companies.

Spain and Portugal are also the connectng points for European companies to enable South America business which is suffering as well. When these countries get back to healthy economy Spain will co-ride the wave.

And Spain as destination is so attractive in many different criteria that they can allow to cherrypick their tourists. And what is described by OP is simply target group orientation - normal tourist industry behavior.

I do not like the approach "I am a free tourist with no responsibility - they have to care for the problems I cause on their own".
Imo this behaviour is opportunistic and stupid.

MarkK is exactly right, I have several friends who are currently working in Germany, so far they all have a good experience. Likewise I have a few friends from Germany who now live and work in Barcelona, due to it being a tech/startup hub.

Carlos, very good argument.

economic inequality:
if you mean some people make more money than others, thats a universal beyond the scope of tourism.

job insecurity:
so when you eliminate 50% of tourism, don’t you think there had better be replacement jobs waiting? Or is no job preferred over an insecure job.

resource overuse and infrastructural strain:
the income from the tourism should provide the funds necessary to improve the infrastructure and resources. If not, then that’s a problem.

gentrification:
“the process whereby the character of a poor urban area is changed by wealthier people moving in, improving housing, and attracting new businesses, often displacing current inhabitants in the process”. I am not certain that this is always a bad thing; but it can be if society doesn’t prepare and provide for the changes.

loss of cultural authenticity, overcrowding, and disruption of daily life for residents:
is Barcelona the same place it was in 1800? 1900? It will be a different place in 2050 too.

sustainable tourism and management practices:
To move towards sustainability in Barcelona gentrification is the way to overhaul the old district to make it more energy and water efficient. That same gentrification is going to demand (and pay for) more parks, repaved streets and walk, more modern and reliable utility distribution, better schools…. And like those displaced, they have to live some place.

overcrowding, and disruption of daily life for residents:
banning short term rentals is a simplistic approach … I watched it here. The statement should regulate Short Term Rentals to a manageable level and PREVENT hotels from taking advantage of the resulting falling real estate values. You don’t want high density hotels where low-density short-term rentals once stood.

The problem isn’t Checkers, the problem is Three-Dimensional Chess.

It seems that the overwhelming number of post pandemic tourists is drawing calls for “luxury tourism” rather than mass tourism. Simply put, they want to cater to fewer bigger spenders rather than masses of budget tourists

Does this mean they prefer the likes of a certain celebrity who parades his wife near naked around the streets?

I know, extreme example, but I don't think money necessarily buys class.

Cruise ships don't show up hoping for parking. Its arranged years in advance, so if there's a problem the local authorities need to face up to their people that they are allowing it to continue.

rf26,
I am with Carlos on his reply. Up-to-date economic info is more in line with his comments, not with the view from Florida.

Judy,

Respectfully, all I am saying is that with an unemployment rate that is twice that of the rest of the European Union, low productivity, and an economy that is largely based on tourism, rejecting or placing demands on the single biggest industry keeping your economy afloat is tantamount to shooting yourself in the foot. Philosophies differ, and Carlos may support fundamental changes that could rearrange the way things are done, but at the end of the day numbers don’t lie, and the facts are the facts. Without a steady stream of tourism Spain would either have to quickly come up with a way to replace the lost revenue, or risk being plunged into economic problems that it’s current productivity outside of tourism can’t mitigate. Hence the call for high end tourism. But as they say down home, that dog won’t hunt.

Maybe that’s their dream - bigger fish on which to prey.

Ooft... poor take.

The people picking your pockets and snatching your handbag in Barcelona aren't voting in elections or paying taxes.

The people picking your pockets and snatching your handbag in Barcelona aren't voting in elections or paying taxes.

That's right, the vast majority of the pickpockets are not even from Barcelona! They come from all over the world to prey on unsuspecting tourists and occasionally locals. For the pickpockets they will happily have overtourism continue unchecked lol.

I'd agree there's some poor takes in this thread.

I'm sorry about the little joke based around your name. I've removed it.

I'd still stand by my point that it was a pretty poor take. It did make me go "ooft" on first reading as a genuine reaction. To me at least, it implied a certain misunderstanding of the situation at hand, and other facets of the Barcelona experience in general. I'm of a mind to leave it at that. Between the post I made and the one from Carlos below, you can get the gist of the point I was making.

So when did this morph into a discussion about pickpockets who pay taxes? Lol.

So when did this morph into a discussion about pickpockets who pay taxes? Lol.

Well in Barcelona, pickpockets and overtourism go hand in glove, or maybe it's "hand in pocket"? haha ;-)

Tourism numbers out of control. Tourism one of the biggest industries. Spanish economy struggling.
Sounds like tourism isn't aiding the Spanish economy as much as it should.
Perhaps the Spanish government needs to completely rethink tourism and the tourism industry.

Eat…

Respectfully, you missed the point. Here in a nutshell are the issues. Spain’s economy is problematic but it’s GDP is actually on the uptick. However, the economy is largely dependent and driven by the tourist industry. If not for the tourist industry, Spain’s economy would be in even more serious condition. Now, some people in Spain want to curb tourism so the question is how to backfill any lost revenue from such an action so the economy won’t backslide. Some are suggesting promoting high-end tourism, and limiting mass tourism. That is easier said than done and it brings with it considerable risks. Introducing new industries necessitates capital, and the current government is not exactly business friendly. There in lies the problem.

@rf26

Wombats and Tasmanian Devils are indigenous to the Great South land and Islands. I would like to add to the comments made by my mate Wombat.

First up my vision is that the protests will not adversely affect the tourism industry in Europe or indeed Spain. A reading of the latest Spanish budget and financials (not Wikipedia summaries) leads me to a similar conclusion.

The English merchants in Boston who protested the egregious grab by their parliamentary masters in London led to an expansion of the concept of democracy. I visualise that the protest by city dwellers rejecting the invasion by entitled foreign nationals from the new world, will lead to a better mix and more equitable tourist class.

In regard to the Spanish Economy. My mates and I have investments in European industries at the vanguard of business innovation. We find their governmental approach to be quite balanced.

Maybe the following snippets may be of interest.

https://www.barcelonabeyond.com/insights/5-innovative-hubs-in-barcelona/

https://www.expandtospain.com/post/global-tech-talent-spain-2022

https://www.tas-consultoria.com/blog-en/spain-technology-hub-in-southern-europe/

My mates and I have faith in the economic precarity of the Spanish, Italian and other educated Europeans. We also have confidence that they know best how to preserve their historical fragile relics for us all.

Regards

Ron

How will the recent anti-tourist protests in Spain affect the future
of European travel?

The title sort of implies an impossible generality. My city could use more tourists.

But the discussion focused on Barcelona and that made it interesting and informative.

Spain has the second lowest per capita GDP in the EU which means they have a lot to think about on any economic subject.

I hope that the calls to cut, curtail, or whatever, tourism do indeed represent the views of the overwhelming majority of the population and aren’t just a minority being used as journalist clickbait.

But I have more faith than not in democracy so it will be interesting to sit back and watch it playout over the next decade.

"Spain has the second lowest per capita GDP in the EU"

Well that isn't true. Perhaps you meant second lowest of the Western countries, which might be true (i suspect only Portugal is lower). But for the EU as a whole, around a third have a lower number.

Maybe this sheds some light on the issue;

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1373462/gdp-per-capita-eu-member-states-2022/

Best Wishes

Nick, my bad. You are correct. Eliminate the old eastern block and I think only Greece is lower. Maybe Portugal. My home country, Hungary is also lower.

Is the rest of Spain expereinceing the same issues as Barcelona? What is the situation in Madrid?

I'll just drop this here for the naysayers

https://www.bbvaresearch.com/en/publicaciones/spain-why-is-it-europes-fastest-growing-economy/

Exports of non-tourist services, e.g. consultancy, information and communication technologies (ICT) and financial services, which account for a larger share of GDP (7.6%) than foreign tourism (5.0%), are trending upwards...

Yep foreign tourism accounts for only 5% of our total GDP in 2024. The majority of tourism in Spain is domestic. Let me tell we are making our holidays in places in Spain most foreign tourists have never heard of, do Val d’Aran, Gandía, Salou, or the Costa Dorada ring any bells? These are smaller places whose infrastructure and housing are specifically geared towards tourism, unlike Barcelona or Malaga.

Is the rest of Spain expereinceing the same issues as Barcelona? What is the situation in Madrid?

Other parts of Spain where there is a high concentration of foreign tourism, like Malaga, Palma, Tenerife are also dealing with similar issues as Barcelona, and thus have burgeoning anti-overtouism movements, especially in the last year.

The same trend of airbnb displacing locals is also happening in Madrid. But Madrid is a special case, it's not hemmed in by natural geography like the other places I've mentioned so it can grown and has been able to absorb the extra demand, though now the overtouism is seeming to overwhelm even Madrid.

The main issue I see is that 95% of foreign tourists only visit 5% of Spain.

I seems that Spain is not the only placeconcerned about over tourism.

We started going to Florida in the 1950's long before Disney World and other theme parks. We mostly visited Daytona Beach. Fast forward to '80s and we started taking our Hobie sailboats to the Gulf. We would stay at Seaside when it was just getting going or go to Cape San Blas.

The Florida we loved has pretty much disappeared due to over building and too many tourists. Also, we loved Sanibel Island but it was severely damaged by Hurricane Ian. It's been many years since we vacationed in Florida and I doubt we'll be returning anytime soon.

Some of my ancestors are from Portugal and we hope to visit there in the near future. We have the luxury of traveling off season and hope to get more out in the country than being in heavily touristed areas.

Our Mayor, Jaume Collboni, announced today that there will be a substantial increase in the tourist tax for cruise ships passengers who visit Barcelona for less than 12 hours - https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/21/barcelona-plans-raise-tourist-tax-cruise-passengers-few-hours

Interesting that this comes a week after the Venice tourist tax pilot program published their results.

Here's the full interview- https://elpais.com/espana/catalunya/2024-07-21/jaume-collboni-alcalde-queremos-subir-la-tasa-turistica-al-crucerista-que-pasa-menos-de-12-horas-en-barcelona.html

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

The Innocents Abroad

In the closing pages (of 'The Innocents Abroad'), he (Twain) captures the overall tone quite efficiently as he describes the symbolic posture of the American tourists as they moved from site to site: “The people stared at us every where, and we stared at them. We generally made them feel rather small, too, before we got done with them, because we bore down on them with America’s greatness until we crushed them.”

New anti-tourism protests on Mallorca with a few thousand protesting people. They claim very directly that they are against a widely unregulated way of tourism, not against singke tourists.

Well the Mallorca anti-tourism manifestation yesterday saw twice the number of expected participants, 20,000. They made it a point to say they are not "anti-tourist" rather anti-overtourism.

The protestors mention that "wealth from tourism is not being distributed" but rather "is being accumulated by large capitals." "We have 21% of the population at risk of poverty and the situation is becoming increasingly unsustainable, which is why this Sunday the population is going out to demonstrate".

"the latest data from last year put the figure at around 12 or 13 people coming to visit Mallorca for every 1 resident."

The main measures demanded are to reduce the number of tourists, regulate and limit the entry of cruise ships and planes that arrive in the Balearic Islands, impose a moratorium, gradually reduce the number of tourist places on the island, control the buying and selling of non-residents and the entry of rental cars that enter the Balearic Islands, and carry out a study of load capacity, in accordance with the capacity of the Islands to accommodate an increasingly unsustainable mass of population.

source: https://www.abc.es/economia/segunda-manifestacion-palma-masificacion-mallorca-harta-20240722101121-nt.html

Mallorca has long been called the 17th Bundesland. And with well over a third of its GDP and nearly a third of its employment relying on tourists, it isn't surprising why. Good luck Majorca changing that!