Major warning for Irish holidaymakers in Spain as anti-tourist protests could hit popular airports
AN URGENT warning has been issued to Irish holidaymakers over anti-tourist protests in the popular sunshine destination during the summer.
Irish holidaymakers travelling to popular
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The mass tourism has skyrocketed the prices of rents across the country
Credit: Alamy Live News
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Many hotspots in Europe are set to experience some anti-tourism protests
Credit: Alamy
Many residents in Spain,
They argue that the mass influx of tourists has skyrocketed the prices of rents and created a shortage of affordable
The urgent warning comes after many Irish holidaymakers are set to plan their sunny escapes abroad during the peak travel season.
Talking to the Mirror, protester Elena Boschi in
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She added: "Our cities and regions are not for sale and there is an urgent need to limit the growth of tourism, demand a change of course and decide on a path to tourism de-growth as a way out.".
SET European Network, an organisation of protest groups from 17 cities, islands and communities throughout Southern Europe, have teamed up to oppose what they call "predatory tourism".
They contend that this
It was revealed that over the past decade, the average cost of rents in
Most read in News Travel
Anti-tourism protesters wreaking havoc across Spain have teamed up with Extinction Rebellion AND Free Palestine
And the residential rental supply has decreased by half since the
At the same time, short-term holiday rentals have sprung up in popular beachfront and metropolitan locations, leaving regular Spanish families high and dry.
The protest comes after the mass protests that swept Spain last summer, with hundreds of thousands demonstrating across 40 cities over the mass tourism issues.
In Palma, over 50,000 residents took to the streets from May to July, brandishing placards bearing emphatic messages such as: '
In Barcelona, protesters fired water guns at restaurant diners and taped shut hotel exits while chanting slogans, spreading fear among tourists across the country.
However, earlier this month, the protest wave rose again in Madrid, witnessing over 150,000 protesters marching backed by the local tenants' union.
ACTION ON SHORT-TERM RENTALS
SET Network's own
Tourism is one of Spain's main sources of income for its economy, with over 94 million tourists visiting the country last year, including at least 17.5million from
As part of the protests, the local authorities nationwide have started to take action against short-term rentals.
Barcelona's city officials have committed to phasing out all 10,000 licences for short-term lets by 2028, which includes targeting listings on popular platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com.
Protests are expected to begin on June 15.
They will be represented by activists from Santander, Genoa, Pamplona, Lisbon, Marseille, Milan, Naples, Palermo, the Pyrenees, Rimini, Valence, and Venice, as well as well-known Spanish hotspots like the Canary Islands, Ibiza, Mallorca, Barcelona, and San Sebastian.
However, demonstrations
will start in
on May 18 at 11am from the Plaza Weyler in the capital tourist hotspot of Santa Cruz.
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