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3mo ago

Europe’s Holiday Hotspots Set for Mass Anti-Tourism Protests

Activists say unchecked tourism has driven up housing costs, clogged public spaces, degraded environments, prompted calls for firm visitor caps.

Tourists walk toward one of Park Guell’s entrances after exiting a bus, as tensions grow between neighbours and tourists due to overcrowding on the bus lines serving Park Guell and the nearby neighbourhood of Turo de la Rovira, in Barcelona, Spain, June 12, 2025. REUTERS/Bruna Casa
Image
A large group of tourists walk past Gaudi's Dragon fountain at Park Guell while anti-tourism activists across southern Europe team up to pressure authorities to take action against overcrowded cities as they prepare to participate in simultaneous large-scale protests across Spain, Portugal, and Italy on Sunday, in Barcelona, Spain, June 11, 2025. REUTERS/Bruna Casas
Large groups of tourists visit Park Guell while anti-tourism activists across southern Europe team up to pressure authorities to take action against overcrowded cities as they prepare to participate in simultaneous large-scale protests across Spain, Portugal, and Italy on Sunday, in Barcelona, Spain, June 12, 2025. REUTERS/Bruna Casas

Overview

  • Tomorrow’s protests are scheduled for June 15 in over a dozen European destinations, including Barcelona, Ibiza, Palma, Venice and Lisbon, organized under the Southern Europe against Touristification coalition.
  • Demonstrators plan to use attention-grabbing tactics such as water pistols, whistles and drums to spotlight the social and environmental toll of overtourism.
  • Activist groups are demanding binding measures on visitor numbers, tighter short-term rental restrictions and caps on airport and cruise traffic to ease housing displacement and overcrowding.
  • City and regional authorities have already moved to tackle the issue by banning new short-term rental licences, enforcing property registration databases and introducing tourist entry fees.
  • Tourism still underpins local economies—generating around 14% of Barcelona’s GDP—but rental agencies report a rise in cancellations and traveler concerns ahead of the demonstrations.