Overview

• Thousands joined coordinated protests on June 15 in cities including Barcelona, Palma, Venice and Lisbon under the SET alliance to challenge overtourism.
• Demonstrators used water pistols, coloured smoke and placards to draw attention to declining housing affordability and overcrowded infrastructure.
• Activists highlighted that Barcelona’s population of 1.6 million hosted 26 million visitors last year, fueling a rent surge of more than 30% in some neighbourhoods.
• Barcelona’s town hall has committed to phasing out all 10,000 short-term rental licenses by 2028 to safeguard local housing supply.
• Industry figures including Airbnb’s regional director contend that policymakers are unfairly blaming short-term rentals for systemic housing and planning failures.