Overtourism is putting pressure on health services, waste management, water supplies and housing at the expense of residents. Thousands of Barcelona residents have taken to the streets to protest overtourism. Around 3,000 people from over 140 organisations took to the streets of the Spanish city on Saturday afternoon, spraying tourists with water and shouting "tourists go home".
Hotel and restaurant entrances were symbolically closed off. They are calling for action before a summer season that experts say will set new records in the city and the wider region of Catalonia. Barcelona is Spain's most visited city receiving 12 million people a year, many of whom arrive via .
Rising visitor numbers are putting pressure on health services, waste management, water supplies and housing at the expense of residents. Increased construction of hotel and housing developments is endangering historic sites, biodiversity and natural resources. The city council has recently voted in favour of increasing its tourism tax up to €4 per person from October.
Recently, frustrations have boiled over in several other European honeypot destinations compelling local authorities to address and reassess the relationship between tourists and residents. From outspoken graffiti to hunger strikes, here’s how destinations suffering from overtourism are pushing back. One of the most pressing impacts of overtourism in Spain now is the lack of housing and soaring rent prices for residents.
Málaga locals exp.