Friday, May 24, 2024 Spain attracted a record number of tourists last year as it competed to steal France’s title as the world’s top tourist destination — but the surge in visitors is provoking angry outbreaks of “tourism-phobia”. Surge in visitors stokes backlash among some Spaniards and demands for government action. The Iberian country registered a 13mn surge in 2023 that lifted its number of international visitors to a new high of more than 85mn — nearly double its population — according to a ranking from the UN’s tourism agency on Wednesday.
Spain overtook the US to become the world’s second-most-visited country in 2017 and has since been trying to close the gap with France. The French government touts its position as “the world’s leading tourist destination” and its arrivals rose by 7mn to 100mn last year. Spain’s boom is an economic fillip for the country where tourism accounts for 12-13 per cent of GDP, but it is also a headache for the government as it stokes a backlash and a sense of saturation among some Spaniards.
In hotspots from the Canary Islands to the Basque country, the influx of visitors is stirring what has been dubbed “tourism-phobia” by residents furious over issues including unsightly new resorts, soaring rental prices, bad behaviour and the overuse of water. In response, local governments are cracking down with measures including tourism taxes, bans on new holiday accommodation and strict regulations on Airbnb-style rental.