Warning to Irish families visiting four countries including Spain and Portugal this summer
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Irish holidaymakers heading to Europe might be in for a rough start this summer as anti-tourism sentiments grow, with protesters not discarding the possibility of targeting airports to voice their frustrations.
Residents fed up with the impacts of mass tourism in Spain, Italy, France, and Portugal haven't ruled out protest actions at airport terminals to dissuade tourists. They argue that influx of tourists has driven up rents and created a shortage of affordable housing, given that properties are turned into tourist rentals and land is bought for resort development.
The warning comes as many are preparing for sunny escapes abroad. During a meeting in Barcelona, protester Elena Boschi told the Mirror: "We want tourists to have some level of fear about the situation – without fear there is no change."
The 46-year-old English language teacher and activist from Genoa 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.".
On the topic of potential demonstrations at airports - a tactic hinted at by some activists - the group's leader Daniel Pardo said: "It is a possibility – but, it is difficult to say because each territory will decide how they want to take action, there is no one set strategy."
An organisation known as SET European Network Against Touristification, which is a collective of protest groups from 17 cities, islands and communities throughout southern Europe, have banded together in defiance against what they deem "predatory tourism". They argue this model of tourism has squeezed residents out due to skyrocketing rents and house prices, while also causing environmental damage to beaches and natural areas.
Representatives from each region joined forces for a three-day summit aimed at putting an end to the tourism practices that have made it increasingly difficult for locals "unable to pay the high rents or buy a home", with "beaches and natural areas visibly damaged."
Over the last ten years, average Spanish rents have hit the roof, doubling in cost, with property prices jumping a staggering 44%, not to mention the residential rental supply plummeting by half since the pandemic in 2020. Simultaneously, short-term holiday lets have mushroomed in prime urban and beachside spots, leaving your average Spanish families high and dry.
The gathering comes on the heels of mass protests that swept Spain last summer, with hundreds of thousands demonstrating across 40 cities. In Palma, Mallorca's capital, over 50,000 concerned citizens took to the streets from May to July, brandishing placards bearing emphatic messages such as: "Mallorca is not for sale" and "no houses without people, nor people without houses."
More recently, earlier this month, the protest wave rose again. Madrid witnessed more than 150,000 protesters marching, backed by the local tenants' union. SET Network's own Ibiza member Maria Cardona has warned of taking the movement "one step further" this coming summer.
"The housing situation is really dramatic, there are hundreds of people living in tents and in cars so I think a lot of protest groups will be prepared to take more decisive action," she said. "On Ibiza, we also have a shortage of water and this is a problem in the winter, so you can imagine in the summer when there is triple the number of people on the island."
Despite the upcoming protests, many activists were quick to clarify their stance towards visitors. One anonymous member said: "We are not against tourists, but what we don't welcome is a way of being in our cities and regions that turns it into a place that is no longer nice to live in for us.
"People need to think what it would feel like if this were happening in their hometown – we're not interested in scaring anyone. It's just about being mindful of the impact tourism can have on local communities."
Tourism is a cornerstone of Spain's economy, with a whopping 94 million tourists last year alone, including at least 17.5 million from Britain, making Spain the world's second most visited country after France. In response to the pressures of tourism, local authorities have started to take action against short-term rentals.
Barcelona's city officials, for instance, have committed to phasing out all 10,000 licenses for short-term lets by 2028, targeting listings on popular platforms like Airbnb. The SET European Network Against Touristification, established in 2018, has been vocal about the negative impacts of mass tourism.
At their Barcelona summit, they distributed a leaflet stating: "Early action aimed at imposing limits on tourism is an expression of a growing collective awareness that transcends borders. Each demonstration marks a moment, and perhaps, a turning point - we must push for the changes and policies that our cities and regions, the people who live in them and the whole planet need."
Last year saw a staggering 747 million tourists flock to Europe, making it the most visited region globally. The SET network has announced protests starting June 15, with representation from popular Spanish hotspots like the Canary Islands, Ibiza, Mallorca, Barcelona, and San Sebastian, as well as activists from Santander, Genoa, Pamplona, Lisbon, Marseille, Milan, Naples, Palermo, the Pyrenees, Rimini, Valence, and Venice.
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Irish Daily Mirror
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