Madrid, April 20 – An “anti-tourism” movement is gaining momentum in Spain, the world’s second most visited country, forcing authorities to grapple with balancing the interests of local residents with the lucrative tourism industry.
Locals protest overtourism – The Canary Islands Have Their Limit
In the Canary Islands, a group of locals is planning a series of protests on Saturday under the slogan “The Canary Islands Have Their Limit.” The archipelago, renowned for its year-round sunshine, attracts millions of visitors from around the globe. However, residents are demanding that authorities halt construction of two new hotels on Tenerife, the largest of the seven islands. They also want more say in regulating what they see as uncontrolled development that is harming the environment.
Environmental damage and rising costs
Last year, 16 million tourists visited the Canary Islands, more than seven times the population of 2.2 million. This is an unsustainable level given the islands’ limited resources, according to Victor Martin, a spokesperson for the group.
Similar anti-tourism movements are emerging elsewhere in Spain and are active on social media. In the Costa del Sol port city of Malaga, stickers with hostile slogans like “This used to be my home” and “Go home” have appeared on the walls of accommodation establishments. In Barcelona and the Balearic Islands, activists have placed fake signs at the entrances to some popular beaches warning in English of the risk of falling rocks or dangerous jellyfish.
Locals complain that the rise in accommodation through short-term rental platforms like Airbnb has exacerbated a housing shortage and driven up rents sharply. The influx of tourists also contributes to noise and pollution and drains resources like water.
Authorities take action
In the northeastern Catalonia region, which declared a drought emergency in February, anger is mounting against hotels on the Costa Brava coast.
José Luis Zoreda, vice president of the Exceltur tourism association, acknowledges that some tourist destinations are at their limit.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic brought global tourism to its knees in 2020, protests against overtourism had begun to emerge in Spain, particularly in Barcelona. As the pandemic waned and tourism rebounded, so did the backlash against the tourist flood.
Spain welcomed a record 85.1 million foreign visitors last year. Several cities have already taken measures to mitigate overcrowding. The seaside city of San Sebastián in the north of the country last month limited the size of tourist groups in the center to 25 people and banned the use of loudspeakers during guided tours. Seville in the south is considering charging non-residents a fee to enter its Plaza de España, while Barcelona has removed a bus route popular with tourists from Google Maps in an attempt to free up space for locals.
Balancing tourism and local needs
Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez said over the weekend that “measures need to be taken to limit the number of tourist apartments,” but stressed that the government “is aware of the importance of the tourism sector,” which accounts for 12.8% of Spain’s GDP.
Sources: AFP: https://www.france24.com/en/tag/spain/
