Water shortages, overcrowded streets and rising housing prices cause extreme disappointment among the residents of southern European countries, who increasingly organize protests against tourists from all over the world, reports the newspaper Politico.
„What we see in the media happened even before the pandemic,”, the publication quotes Sandra Carvao, who monitors the development of the tourism market and competitiveness at the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). “Back then, there were protests against tourism there, and now they are gaining strength again,“, she noted.
Residents of cities in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece, as seen in the post, took to the streets, including with water guns and placards urging the rowdy guests to “go home”. In drought-stricken cities like Barcelona, tourists use significantly more water than the average resident. In arid Sicily, several towns have begun refusing accommodation to tourists due to lack of water.
Posters and graffiti have appeared on the streets and in public places in Spain, referring to “foreigners” who have trouble complying with local laws and culture. Similar protests took place this summer in Madrid, Malaga, Granada and Alicante, among others. At the end of July, more than 20,000 anti-mass tourism activists gathered in Palma de Mallorca to demand changes to the tourism model, which they say is harming the Balearic Islands, especially Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza. In 2023, the total number of tourists on the islands, home to 1.2 million people, has increased to 14.4 million.
According to Carvao, a successful tourism strategy must focus on balancing economic, social and environmental impacts and take into account the level of demand as well as the capabilities of the host country.