Latest news with #Més
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Warning as Spanish protestors 'armed with water-pistols' set new date for chaos
Overtourism campaigners in Barcelona have set a time, date and place for their next protest, which will see them revitalise tactics that captured headlines last year Anti-tourism activists are planning to arm themselves with water pistols and soak holidaymakers. On June 15 tourists in Spain may want to keep an eye out and dry towel in their tote bag. One of the city's leading anti-tourism organizations has announced a new protest encouraging the use of water pistols. The organization, which was behind last year's rally, has pledged to "disrupt the tourist normality". Daniel Pardo Rivacoba, a member of the Assembly of Neighborhoods for Tourism Degrowth, spoke about the power of the water pistol. He described it as "a popular symbol of resistance against the plundering of the tourism monoculture" before arguing that the tourism industry "is incompatible with life". His group is demanding rapid "tourism regrowth." On the same day protest will also take place in other parts of Spain, including Ibiza, San Sebastián, Palma de Mallorca, Granada, the Pyrenees, and in Portugal's capital, Lisbon, Catalan News reported. The only detail of the June 15 protest that has been confirmed so far is the date, its midday start time and starting location of Jardinets de Gràcia. It comes 11 months after protesters in the city stole headlines with a now iconic piece of campaigning. People marched down the streets and remonstrated with diners sitting outside restaurants. Some, judged to be on holiday, were blasted with water pistols. Guests were also prevented from leaving their hotels when campaigners taped up exits. Last July thousands of people took part in the day long rally against mass tourism. Clearly it is something people in the city care deeply about. The Catalan capital received more than 12 million tourists in 2023, with numbers expected to grow each year. There have been other cases of tourist squirting since the July rally. In April this year tourists aboard a sight-seeing bus in Barcelona were blocked and squirted with water by protesters. The organizers of many of the anti-tourism protests held in 2024 in Mallorca launched a protest in the Northern Spanish city. The Catalan Police were called when the campaigners blocked a bus packed with tourists close to the famous Sagrada Familia. Members of Més turisme, Menys vida (More Tourism, Less Life) launched the action after holding an international press conference. After stopping the bus in its tracks for several minutes, the protesters doused it with water pistols. According to OK Diario, police dispersed some of the activists and detained others. This tourism-phobic group from Mallorca carried out several pressure actions against tourists last year, both in Palma and on iconic beaches like Caló des Moro, as well as two demonstrations with thousands of people protesting against tourism in the streets of the Balearic capital.
Daily Mirror
13-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Jet2 warning that cost of Spain holidays will rise if protests continue
Jet2 CEO Steve Heapy has warned that anti-tourism protests in Spain could lead local politicians to introduce or raise taxes on visitors, bringing up the cost to holidaymakers Jet2's boss has warned that taxes slapped on tourists could rise as a result of ongoing protests. Steve Heapy expressed fears that tourist levies could rise in response to overtourism protests in Spain, which have been rumbled on for years and are due to disrupt key destinations this summer. The CEO told a roundtable event at the Spanish embassy in London that he opposed tourist taxes, but feared rises would prove 'irresistible', Travel Weekly reports. 'It worries me greatly that it will constantly creep up in response to overtourism protests,' he said. Others at the table defended the tax form, including Pere Granados, mayor of Salou. He argued the €1 per person, per day levy at work in the region is a good thing. Mayor Granados said: 'The tourists pay tax in the same way as the residents pay taxes. If I come to London, I generate waste.' On the flip side of things, Benidorm mayor Antonio Perez, argued that things should be kept "reasonable" when it came to how much tourists contribute. 'I'm against a tourist tax because it's stigmatising the visitors as the ones who are preventing me from having a better city or better services. We need to be the best place to live," he said Interest in Spanish holidays continues to rise, despite the protests. Last year, the country saw a record-breaking 94 million international visitors flock to its mainland and many popular islands. Demonstrations have continued in recent months- with one shocking sign threatening to 'Kill a Tourist' popping up in Tenerife. Reports also suggest anonymous locals set fire to rental cars - often used by tourists to explore the island - to make their message clear. In March, protesters took to the streets of Spain's second city, targeting a sightseeing bus in Barcelona, which they blocked and squirted with water. The organizers of many of the anti-tourism protests held in 2024 in Mallorca launched a protest in the Northern Spanish city. Catalan Police were called when the campaigners blocked a bus packed with tourists close to the famous Sagrada Familia. Members of Més turisme, Menys vida (More Tourism, Less Life) launched the action after holding an international press conference. After stopping the bus in its tracks for several minutes, the protesters doused it with water pistols. According to OK Diario, police dispersed some of the activists and detained others. This tourism-phobic group from Mallorca carried out several pressure actions against tourists last year, both in Palma and on iconic beaches like Caló des Moro, as well as two demonstrations with thousands of people protesting against tourism in the streets of the Balearic capital.
