Traveling to Europe? Here's What to Expect From Tourism Protests on June 15.
Protests against overtourism have become a reliable sign of summer's arrival in southern Europe. Already this year, major demonstrations have taken place in the Canary Islands and on Majorca, in Spain.
But on Sunday, the protests appear to be entering a new phase, when coordinated demonstrations will take place in tourist hot spots in Spain, Portugal, Italy and, possibly, France.
Last year, protesters at a July 6 march in Barcelona squirted tourists with water pistols, making international headlines. Building on that momentum, the upcoming demonstrations are intended to draw attention to the negative impact of what organizers call the touristification (the emphasis on tourism instead of local quality of life) of European cities. The protests aim to keep pressure on governments to address the problems generated by tourism, including rising rents and housing shortages, environmental damage and neighborhoods stripped of essential services for residents.
Planning for the coordinated protests began in earnest in April, during a weekend-long Barcelona workshop for activists that drew representatives from across Spain, as well as from France, Portugal and Italy, to strategize about how best to achieve their shared goal.
'What we are calling for,' said Daniel Pardo, the spokesman for the Southern European Network Against Touristification, which organized the workshop, 'is tourism degrowth.'
What places are involved?
In Spain, marches are planned in Barcelona, San Sebastían, Granada, Majorca, Minorca and Ibiza. There are also protests scheduled in Lisbon and Genoa, Italy. Activists in other destinations, including Marseille, may also hold demonstrations.
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