Soaring tourist numbers, soaring house prices and an increase in selfie-seekers have created a situation “totally out of balance”, UNESCO officials said, adding that if the issues were not addressed a wave of protests against mass tourism in Spain risk spreading across Europe.
Tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in Spain's most popular tourist destinations in recent weeks, calling for a curb on mass tourism and an overhaul of business models they say are driving up house prices and pushing locals out of cities.
From Malaga to Mallorca, Gran Canaria to Granada, organisers stressed that the protests were not against tourism per se, but rather calling for a more balanced approach.
Peter Devlin, UNESCO's senior project officer for sustainable tourism, agrees: “What we're seeing is these destinations are going beyond what's acceptable,” he says. “We're trying to rebalance the situation. It's completely out of balance now.”
He pointed to a myriad of factors to explain why many in Spain, long one of the world's top tourist destinations, are now leading a backlash against the industry, chief among them the housing crisis, which he described as “the breaking point.”
Tourism has exacerbated existing concerns about rising house prices as the expansion of short-term accommodation squeezes locals out of the market. “I think it's added to the anxiety and frustration for people who live in these tourist areas,” Devlin said.
Accommodation costs in Ibiza have risen so much that workers are living in vans, caravans, tents and cars. Photo: Patricia Escliche/Observer
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”.
Devlin said a surge in tourism, as Spain continues to enjoy record-breaking years, has also contributed to the protests. “I think tourists' behavior in certain destinations definitely plays a role,” he said. “I think the lack of respect from tourists in the destinations has also fueled the protests.”
Tourist destinations across Spain have long tried to tackle what locals call anti-social behaviour, imposing dress codes, cracking down on alcohol sales and, as recently happened in one resort, banning inflatable penis costumes and sex dolls.
UNESCO has long pointed to its unique ability to promote tourism and deepen understanding of the world's cultural heritage, but in the age of social media, that ideal seems untenable, Devlin said.
“So we've evolved into what we call selfie tourism,” he said, “where they just want to take a picture without any understanding of what it is and what it means for our past and our future.”
In June, hundreds of people protested in a picturesque cove in Mallorca, expressing frustration with the growing selfie-craze, complaining about overcrowding and environmental damage caused by throngs of Instagrammers and influencers flocking to take the perfect photo.
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“Your tourism is my misery” – Tourists look on as a protest takes place in Alicante on July 13, 2024. Photo: Eva Manes/Reuters
But a few weeks later, protests in Spain took a violent turn with a small number of protesters armed with water pistols spraying tourists, while others held signs reading “Tourists go home” and “You're not welcome.”
Devlin described the actions as “extreme and unnecessary” but believed they were born out of frustration. “Unless something is done, this behaviour will not stop,” he said.
What's needed, he said, is a paradigm shift, for decision-makers to start asking how they can make things better for residents: “It's a bit of a cliché, but I always say a good place to live is a good place to visit.”
This is a change we're already seeing in many places, he said, citing Denmark's efforts to incentivize climate-friendly and sustainable behavior, Venice's entrance fees, and the fact that Barcelona's mayor recently pledged to limit apartment rentals to tourists by 2028, while Mallorca and Dubrovnik have taken steps to restrict cruise ship entry.
Devlin said not all of these solutions necessarily work, pointing to previous efforts to spread out tourists within popular destinations. The strategy had unintended consequences, with some locals complaining about noise and strains on local infrastructure, while others were pushed out of areas as their homes were converted to short-term rentals. “You suddenly have people all over the place, and that's causing problems.”
But those drawbacks are preferable to the alternative: local authorities would not acknowledge the problem, risking anti-tourism protests spreading outside Spain, Devlin said.
“We have a small window of opportunity to make a change and start trying different things,” he said. “The goal is to become more sustainable, but how do we get there?”
