Hundreds gather in Barcelona to protest southern Europe’s overtourism

Thousands of people took to the streets of several cities across southern Europe on Sunday in the latest protest against overtourism.

In the Spanish city of Barcelona, where the main demonstrations took place, some fired water pistols at shop windows and set off smoke.

Organised by the alliance “Southern Europe against Overtourism”, demonstrators joined forces with groups in Portugal and Italy.

They argue that uncontrolled tourism is driving up housing prices and forcing people out of their neighbourhoods.

The Guardia Urbana says only 600 people attended the demonstration in Barcelona.

The Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS) states that housing is the number one national concern for citizens, according to its latest barometer released in May.

Some 120 groups, such as the ‘Sindicat de Llogateres’, or Zeroport, against the recent approval of the extension of the Prat airport, joined in the march.

Spokespeople for the latter platform say that, if this project is approved by the government, the airport will receive another 15 million passengers, of which 10 million will be tourists.

Organisers have once again denounced the political inaction in the face of this phenomenon. Of the 13 proposals that were delivered to the Barcelona City Council after the demonstration in July last year, they claim that “none of the demands have been met, quite the contrary”.

Record number of tourists again?

Spain, which has a population of around 48 million, hosted a record 94 million international visitors in 2024. It remains the second most visited country in the world, behind only France.

In addition to the low supply of public housing construction, well below the European average, the growing number of unregistered tourist flats has also contributed to the rise in house prices to record levels.

Similar to the protests that took place a few months ago in the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands have joined the protests against mass tourism.

This sector contributes more than 40% to the economy of the Mediterranean islands, according to estimates from several economic analyses, but also contributes to the degradation of their natural spaces and the increase in prices for islanders.

The ongoing protests have served as a rallying cry for governments and cities to reassess their tourism models.