Tourism peaked this year, as did residents’ frustrations.
At least 8,000 people marched in the Canary Islands this week to protest overtourism. This attempt to protect their natural resources and way of life wasn’t an isolated incident—throughout the summer, various parts of Spain erupted with citizen action to bring attention to problems associated with tourism. One particular incident that made international headlines was when locals armed themselves with water guns and aimed at unsuspecting tourists dining in Barcelona. The calls echoed in Mallorca, Malaga, and Valencia: tourists, go home.
Disruption, crowds, litter, and noise are just one side of the problem; the biggest grievance is the growing housing crisis that is pricing locals out of their homes. Overtourism is a complex issue, so we spoke with different stakeholders to understand how tourism has become public enemy number one, and what can be done to help the situation.
Related: Spanish City to Tourists: ‘Go Home’
‘It’s Simply Too Much’
The Canary Islands has a population of 2.2 million, but almost 10 million tourists arrived in the first nine months of this year. Spain, overall, has also broken records this year by recording 21.8 million summer travelers, a 7.3% rise from last year.
It hasn’t been a positive experience for many residents of Spain.
Carolina Ruiz has lived in Spain for the past year and recently moved to Madrid from Barcelona. For her, rowdy crowds were an issue in the Catalonian city. “They are drunk on the streets, fighting, shouting while you’re calmly walking back home or trying to sleep, especially during the summer when you have to sleep with the windows open.” But she, like most other residents, is severely impacted by rising housing rental prices. “It is impossible to live in the city,” she says.
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Homelessness in Spain has spiked 24% since 2012 as locals are priced out of the market. Short-term rentals—which cities like Barcelona are trying to curb—are one of the reasons why people are being turned away from homes they have lived in for years. In Ibiza, locals are living in cars and campervans because of a lack of affordable housing.
But crowds are also affecting the quality of life in Spain and diluting its culture. A resident of Mallorca who wishes to remain anonymous refers to it as “cheap tourism” when visitors fly for throwaway prices, drink all night, sleep on the beach, and fly back. “I have one neighbor here who said, ‘I’m just fed up with Mallorca, I want to leave.’” People who work on the island don’t have places to stay, and they are leaving for the mainland. “It’s simply too much!” she laments.
Those who stay are changing their course, avoiding routes they have taken for years. Some have stopped visiting many local spots due to crowds. One of them is Cap de Formentor, where cars are restricted during summer due to a lack of parking space. “Palma is full, full, full almost all year,” says the Mallorca resident. She also points to the traditions that are getting lost. “[The Spanish] have lunch around 2-3 p.m., and they have coffee at 12 p.m. Now they can’t have coffee because restaurants and cafes have tourists who want to eat at 12 p.m. or 1 p.m.”
The anger on the streets stems from all of these seemingly minor issues, and locals are responding with chants of “tourists go home.”
Formed in the early 2000s, Assemblea de Barris pel Decreixement Turístic (ABDT or the Neighborhood Assembly for Tourist Degrowth) has been campaigning against overtourism for years. It was instrumental in some of the protests seen in Barcelona this summer and has released a manifesto that demands the government curb airport activity and infrastructure, restrict short-term rentals, require the tourism sector to pay for public expenditures it causes (among them, cleaning, waste management, security), and end tourism promotion.
Around the world, governments are taking action. Venice has banned cruises. Amsterdam has banned smoking marijuana in public. Rome is fining tourists for behaving inappropriately. Kyoto doesn’t allow tourists in geisha districts. Tourist taxes have popped up in many cities around the world, but experts are still uncertain about their long-term effects. Copenhagen, on the other hand, is rewarding travelers for traveling sustainably.
Tourists also have a part to play here, but first, the solutions must be tailored to each destination’s needs and infrastructure.
Related: Spain’s New ‘Six-Drink Rule’ Is Supposed to Target Bad Tourists. But Will It Actually Work?
Thinking Long-Term
The blame is often placed directly on the shoulders of tourists, but there are more facets to this complex issue. A report by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) started the discussion with an important clarification: overtourism is not only about the number of visitors but also about a city’s capacity to manage those numbers.
“This is a localized issue and should not be generalized,” Sandra Carvao, director of market intelligence, policies, and competitiveness at UNWTO, tells Fodor’s. “It is something that happens in a specific location, in a specific moment, and it needs to be managed within a coherent and coordinated part of planning and management.”
The UNWTO released reports on overtourism in 2018 and 2019, proposing strategies to manage tourism flows in urban areas. Some of the key measures included engaging with local communities and including them in tourism planning, communicating with visitors, and improving facilities and infrastructure. All stakeholders in city planning—public and private—need to be involved in management, and different sectors (agriculture, architecture, public infrastructure) need to work together.
“Until some years ago, tourism would not be one of the priorities when someone was planning for a city.” Indeed, cities are planned for residents, not tourists, who also use the same public transportation, consume water and other resources, create waste, and pay for short-term and long-term rentals. “It is an important planning and management process with all the players engaged and with listening to the residents as well.” She insists that cities need to measure resident sentiment on a regular basis and identify issues they are dealing with to lessen the negative impact.
The idea resonates with Justin Francis, founder and executive chair of Responsible Travel, who also underscored the significance of community engagement because most destinations don’t want to lose all tourism. “It’s really important that authorities prioritize the needs of local people, consult residents about the sort and scale of tourism they want—and don’t want—in their communities, and work to minimize the negative impacts of tourism.”
It’s hard to ignore the economic benefits of tourism, especially for vulnerable populations. More than 50% of those employed in the sector are women, and tourism has revived rural communities.
So there’s a need for balance, Carvao points out, so the destinations grow for the benefit of the population, not at their expense. Some ways to ensure stability for those employed throughout the year include encouraging off-peak travel and promoting rural destinations, thus lessening the pressure on popular attractions.
In short, cities need to think of long-term solutions, not band-aid fixes. Current challenges must inform future planning and answer the question, “What do I want my destination to be in the next 50 years?”
Travelers’ Choice
Travel is consumer-driven, so as a traveler, you have the power to make choices. You can demand better from the public and private sectors, and the shift is already happening with respect to tourism. But it needs to be more than just a trend.
In the end, overtourism hurts everyone, Justin Francis says. “It decimates communities, culture, and eventually degrades the tourist experience too. When tourism is harming a place, something has to change.”
Francis, whose company offers more than 250 holidays in Spain, reflects that travel has become more purposeful and experiential. “Most of our customers to Spain are taking local-led holidays in lesser-visited, rural areas and staying in small, locally owned hotels or guesthouses,” he adds. Their customers or partners haven’t been affected by the tourist protests yet, which might also be a sign that popular attractions are oversaturated, and dispersing crowds to other spots will help.
“Why do you want to travel to a place?” Francis asks travelers to ponder. If the destination is overburdened by tourists, look elsewhere. “Why not consider a local-led trip to a lesser-visited region where you can experience traditional food, culture, and glorious landscapes?” As the UNWTO’s Sandra Carvao suggests, travel off-season. It might not always pan out due to school and work holidays, but it’s worth a shot—also to save money.
Sometimes, travelers want the comfort of home, so they gravitate toward what’s familiar. But spending locally—supporting local markets and artisans and staying at homestays rather than big international chains—will pump money into the economy. More community-led events that bring locals and tourists together will also have a positive impact for both hosts and guests.
Being mindful of small things can change your experiences as a traveler. So, show respect when you are visiting someone else’s home. Research their customs and traditions, and adapt to them rather than expecting them to accommodate you.
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