Tourism protesters are changing tack – you and I have become the target
It was a sunny July morning in Barcelona and the forecast was clear. Yet dozens of people on La Rambla found themselves rushing indoors to avoid getting soaked.
This, the vision of tourists being sprayed by water pistol-wielding protesters, was the defining moment of a tempestuous summer on the Continent. Across popular holiday destinations the war against mass tourism got bigger, louder and better organised.
Protests against overtourism have been simmering for years now, notably in Venice and Barcelona where cruise ships and Airbnb have been the prime targets. But Carla Izcara of Alba Sud, a Barcelona-based think tank, says there was a common catalyst behind the wave of protests this summer.
“We experienced daily life without tourism and in some ways it was nice, even given the gravity of the situation,” says Izcara, referring to the period when international borders were closed during the pandemic.
“But after Covid the reactivation of tourism has been very strong, and very fast. In the civil movement against touristification there are now more actors, such as housing associations, unions and even individuals and families. They see a common enemy and are working together as a collective.”
In April, more than 50,000 people took to the streets across the Canary Islands in the biggest ever coordinated march of its kind. Other large demonstrations took place across the Balearic Islands, plus in Malaga, Venice, Barcelona, Alicante and Granada. Reports trickled through to the British press, usually topped with a photograph of a banner along the lines of “Tourists Go Home” (or ruder). But another catchphrase, seen at a protest in Palma de Mallorca, better reflects the complexity of the cause: “Turismo Sí, Pero no Así” (Tourism yes, but not like this).
These are protests about the grim frustrations of living in a tourist destination. They are about water shortages, traffic, pollution, construction, the commercialisation of high streets, environmental degradation, the spiralling cost of living, the dwindling supply of affordable housing. Ultimately, the protests are about the deterioration of everyday life thanks to unchecked tourism growth.
Margalida Ramis of the conservation group GOB Mallorca, part of the Menys Turisme, Més Vida (Less Tourism, More Life) platform which organised some of the summer’s protests, believes the demonstrations have had a positive impact: “They opened the eyes of many people. They understand that either we mobilise or we are expelled. Either we mobilise and demand limits on tourism, or there will be no possibility of [living a] decent life in our territories.”
Despite the protest groups becoming better organised and clearer in their objectives, their actions have not yet translated into meaningful political change. And as we’ve seen with Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion stunts here in the UK, when organised protests fall on deaf ears, splinter groups tend to turn to nonviolent direct action instead – putting tourists in the firing line.
Aside from that water pistol moment in Barcelona, a protest group occupied a popular beach in Majorca and erected signs that said “Beach Closed”. On another, a sign read “Beware of Dangerous Jellyfish”. Locals in the Menorcan village of Binibeca Vell resorted to chaining up the access roads to prevent tourists from getting in, a similar stunt to the tunnel-blocking villagers of Hallstatt, Austria.
There’s more. Just last week there was the quite comical sight of locals walking back and forth across a zebra crossing in Galicia to stop tourists from accessing a beach. One protest group threatened to bring Palma de Mallorca Airport to a standstill at the height of the summer, which didn’t happen – but it is significant that the idea was even tabled.
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How these stunts will affect tourist numbers is yet to be seen. This year’s demonstrations took place after most people had already booked their holidays, so numbers haven’t been dented. In fact, the opposite is true. In July, 10.9 million people visited Spain, up 7.3 per cent on the year before, largely driven by German and British markets.
My hunch is that when January comes around and the holiday booking season begins, British tourists will play the probability game and try their luck, particularly when it comes to favourites like Tenerife and Majorca. But the odds of encountering a protest in 2025 will be shorter than they were in 2024. Unesco has also warned that the movement could spread to other corners of Europe: Lisbon, Santorini and Amsterdam all have the tell-tale grumbles that come before an organised protest movement.
There will be more blocked beaches, more chained-up roads, more graffiti, more stickers on apartment blocks saying “A family used to live here”. And, according to the people closest to the protest movements, we can expect to see more marches on our holidays.
“We are now working to give continuity to the protests and establish achievable political objectives,” says Margalida Ramis of GOB Mallorca. “We will not stop mobilisations, protests and actions until we see results. Our lives depend on it.”
On the mainland, the work resumes this weekend: “Here in Barcelona we have a mobilisation this Saturday against the America’s Cup, and will keep having them,” says Carla Izcara. “The rhythm of life is not sustainable in any way. We have to keep pushing.”