Experts have warned that soaring tourist numbers, soaring house prices and overtourism have pushed the situation “totally out of balance” and could lead to a “wave of protests” against mass tourism in Europe.
The comments come as anti-tourism protests have increased in Spain over the past few months.
Tens of thousands of protesters have filled the streets of Spain's most popular tourist destinations in recent weeks, demanding limits on mass tourism and an overhaul of business models that they say have led to soaring house prices and forced locals out of cities.
Peter Devlin, UNESCO's senior project officer for sustainable tourism, told the Guardian: “What we're seeing is that tolerance is being exceeded in these destinations.”
“We're trying to bring the situation back into balance. It's totally out of balance right now.”
He pointed to a myriad of factors to explain why many are now leading a backlash against the industry in Spain, long one of the world's most popular tourist destinations.
The housing crisis is the most serious of these, which he described as “the final push.”
He added that tourism is exacerbating existing concerns about rising house prices as the expansion of short-term accommodation squeezes locals out of the market.
Devlin added: “I think it has created even more anxiety and frustration for people who live in these destinations.”
Workers in islands like Ibiza have found themselves with little choice but to live in vans, caravans and tents, while a “sticker revolt” in Malaga has seen residents place stickers outside the city's tourist rentals reading “Your family used to live here” and “Go home”.
Spain has experienced consecutive record tourism booms and the surge in visitor numbers is contributing to the protests, Devlin said.
“Tourist behaviour also plays a role in certain destinations and the lack of respect shown by some tourists towards the destinations they visit is definitely causing frustration,” he added.
