Have you booked a summer holiday abroad?
IT MIGHT NOT seem like it when you look out the window today, but it is summer, and many people will be preparing to take a holiday in the coming weeks and months.
According to new figures from the
Central Statistics Office
, there was a 16% increase in the number of trips abroad taken by Irish people in the first quarter of this year.
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Meanwhile, so-called 'staycations' were down 8% on the same period last year. Irish residents took 2.8 million domestic overnight trips.
Dublin Airport has said this is set to be its busiest summer on record. So are you planning to go away this summer?
Tell us:
Have you booked a summer holiday abroad?
Poll Results:
Yes
(86)
No, and I don't intend to
(18)
No, but I'll go somewhere in Ireland
(14)
Not yet, but I intend to
(13)
Yes
Not yet, but I intend to
No, and I don't intend to
No, but I'll go somewhere in Ireland
Vote
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Irish Daily Mirror
33 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Tourists squirted with water guns in holiday hotspots amid overtourism protests
Protesters used water pistols against unsuspecting tourists in Barcelona and on the Spanish island of Mallorca on Sunday as demonstrators marched to demand a rethink of an economic model they believe is fueling a housing crunch and erasing the character of their hometowns. The marches were part of a coordinated effort by activists concerned with the ills of overtourism across southern Europe's top destinations, including Venice, Italy, Portugal's capital of Lisbon and several other Spanish locations. "The squirt guns are to bother the tourists a bit," Andreu Martinez said in Barcelona with a chuckle after spritzing a couple seated at an outdoor cafe. "Barcelona has been handed to the tourists. This is a fight to give Barcelona back to its residents." Martinez, a 42-year-old administrative assistant, is one of a growing number of residents who are convinced that tourism has gone too far in the city of 1.7 million people. Barcelona hosted 15.5 million visitors last year eager to see Antoni Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia basilica and the Las Ramblas promenade. Martinez says his rent has risen over 30% as more apartments in his neighborhood are rented to tourists for short-term stays. He said there is a knock-on effect of traditional stores being replaced by businesses catering to tourists, like souvenir shops, burger joints and "bubble tea" spots. "Our lives, as lifelong residents of Barcelona, are coming to an end," he said. "We are being pushed out systematically." Around 5,000 people gathered in Palma, the capital of Mallorca, with some toting water guns as well and chanting "Everywhere you look, all you see are tourists." The tourists who were targeted by water blasts laughed it off. The Mediterranean island is a favorite for Irish, British and German sun-seekers. It has seen housing costs skyrocket as homes are diverted to the short-term rental market. In Venice, a couple of dozen protesters unfurled a banner calling for a halt to new hotel beds in the lagoon city in front of two recently completed structures, one in the popular tourist destination's historic center where activists say the last resident, an elderly woman, was kicked out last year. Protesters in Barcelona blew whistles and held up homemade signs saying "One more tourist, one less resident." They stuck stickers saying "Citizen Self-Defense," in Catalan, and "Tourist Go Home," in English, with a drawing of a water pistol on the doors of hotels and hostels. There was tension when the march stopped in front of a large hostel, where a group emptied their water guns at two workers positioned in the entrance. They also set off firecrackers next to the hostel and opened a can of pink smoke. One worker spat at the protesters as he slammed the hostel's doors. American tourists Wanda and Bill Dorozenski were walking along Barcelona's main luxury shopping boulevard where the protest started. They received a squirt or two, but she said it was actually refreshing given the 28.3C weather. "That's lovely, thank you sweetheart," Wanda said to the squirter. "I am not going to complain. These people are feeling something to them that is very personal, and is perhaps destroying some areas (of the city)." There were also many marchers with water pistols who didn't fire at bystanders and instead solely used them to spray themselves to keep cool. Cities across the world are struggling with how to cope with mass tourism and a boom in short-term rental platforms, like Airbnb, but perhaps nowhere has surging discontent been so evident as in Spain, where protesters in Barcelona first took to firing squirt guns at tourists during a protest last summer. There has also been a confluence of the pro-housing and anti-tourism struggles in Spain, whose 48 million residents welcomed record 94 million international visitors in 2024. When thousands marched through the streets of Spain's capital in April, some held homemade signs saying "Get Airbnb out of our neighborhoods." Spanish authorities are striving to show they hear the public outcry while not hurting an industry that contributes 12% of gross domestic product. Last month, Spain's government ordered Airbnb to remove almost 66,000 holiday rentals from the platform that it said had violated local rules. Spain's Consumer Rights Minister Pablo Bustinduy told The Associated Press shortly after the crackdown on Airbnb that the tourism sector "cannot jeopardize the constitutional rights of the Spanish people," which enshrines their right to housing and well-being. Carlos Cuerpo, the economy minister, said in a separate interview that the government is aware it must tackle the unwanted side effects of mass tourism. The boldest move was made by Barcelona's town hall, which stunned Airbnb and other services who help rent properties to tourists by announcing last year the elimination of all 10,000 short-term rental licenses in the city by 2028. That sentiment was back in force on Sunday, where people held up signs saying "Your Airbnb was my home." The short-term rental industry, for its part, believes it is being treated unfairly. "I think a lot of our politicians have found an easy scapegoat to blame for the inefficiencies of their policies in terms of housing and tourism over the last 10, 15, 20 years," Airbnb's general director for Spain and Portugal, Jaime Rodriguez de Santiago recently told the AP. That argument either hasn't trickled down to the ordinary residents of Barcelona, or isn't resonating. Txema Escorsa, a teacher in Barcelona, doesn't just oppose Airbnb in his home city, he has ceased to use it even when traveling elsewhere, out of principle. "In the end, you realise that this is taking away housing from people," he said.
The Journal
8 hours ago
- The Journal
Have you booked a summer holiday abroad?
IT MIGHT NOT seem like it when you look out the window today, but it is summer, and many people will be preparing to take a holiday in the coming weeks and months. According to new figures from the Central Statistics Office , there was a 16% increase in the number of trips abroad taken by Irish people in the first quarter of this year. Advertisement Meanwhile, so-called 'staycations' were down 8% on the same period last year. Irish residents took 2.8 million domestic overnight trips. Dublin Airport has said this is set to be its busiest summer on record. So are you planning to go away this summer? Tell us: Have you booked a summer holiday abroad? Poll Results: Yes (86) No, and I don't intend to (18) No, but I'll go somewhere in Ireland (14) Not yet, but I intend to (13) Yes Not yet, but I intend to No, and I don't intend to No, but I'll go somewhere in Ireland Vote
Extra.ie
12 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Passenger numbers to U.S 'fall off cliff' with Aer Lingus slashing fares to as little as €200
Passenger fares for flights to the US have nosedived, with economy tickets to major American cities such as New York and Chicago now selling for just over €200. Aer Lingus is currently offering fares as low as €209 economy class to popular US destinations, while business-class prices have been slashed to as low as €800. The massive price drop comes as many travellers opt to avoid the US amid ongoing political turmoil there. US president Donald Trump. Pic:Traditional business-class travellers are particularly affected as some corporations advise employees to 'avoid US business trips' as much as possible, according to senior corporate sources. The Trump administration's tightening of its border policy, coupled with riots that have broken out in Los Angeles and other cities, is believed to be contributing to the decline in transatlantic travel. One high-level decision-maker for a leading pharmaceutical company said they have put a 'hard pause' on business travel to the US in the short term. The US-based CEO said of the stricter immigration controls: 'It's causing total chaos. Getting a visa is now a job in itself. Then, even if you do get a visa, when you get there, there's no guarantee you'll get in. 'Or if you do, you may face being interrogated at the point of entry and be asked to hand over your devices. 'The reality is that people who go to the US in order to conduct business expect hassle-free travel, as doing deals at a high level is in itself a highly stressed environment. So at our level, we've taken an executive decision to 'hard pause' non-essential travel for the foreseeable.' Los Angeles County Sheriffs stand at their positions as law enforcement clashes with demonstrators during a protest following federal immigration operations, in the Compton neighborhood of Los Angeles, California on June 7, 2025. (Photo by RINGO CHIU/AFP via Getty Images) The slump in business-class travel has been further negatively affected by the decline in corporate travellers from the UK, who would transit through Irish airports, who are also avoiding travel to the US. Tickets for flights to JFK Airport in New York at various dates throughout September, October and November were available for €209 this weekend. The cost of upgrading to business class on the same flights comes to around €800. In less turbulent times, a business-class seat could cost upwards of €1,800 one way. Flights bound for Chicago O'Hare International Airport were also following a similar price pattern with basic seats starting at around €200. Business-class seats were selling for €798. Tánaiste Simon Harris. Pic:for Empire State Realty Trust The slump in transatlantic travel comes as US president Donald Trump's regime continues to beef up its vetting process for travellers to the US, from the visa application stage right up to point of entry into American cities. Earlier this month, secretary of state Marco Rubio's office instructed US consular officers to ask visa applicants to set all social media accounts to public in the event they need to be reviewed as part of the vetting. Last month the US Citizenship and Immigration Service issued a statement announcing it will be taking into account 'antisemitic activity on social media' as 'grounds for denying immigration benefit requests'. Mr Trump's tariff threats and his upending of traditional transatlantic diplomatic ties have also affected the numbers now travelling to the US.
