As Spain’s tourist season spills into the winter months, local discontent with “over-tourism” is growing. Demonstrations against the tourism industry’s impact on communities and local resources are planned across popular regions, including the Basque city of San Sebastian, which will host a protest under the theme “We are in danger; degrow tourism!” Similar gatherings are scheduled in Seville this November, following recent protests in the Canary Islands.
Tourism is at a boom, especially after the pandemic; 13% of the national GDP has long made questions over Spain’s dependency on tourism. For the current year, Spain has marked a high number of 90 million foreign visitors that will shoot to 115 million in 2040.
But it is on an uptrend, tourists are getting too pricey to accommodate and are fewer public spaces available to its locals. Protesters state that this touristification of heritage areas is threatening the cultural ties of their communities as well as nudging locals off the city itself.
Local governments are doing everything possible to shift the burden from locals. In Barcelona, by 2028, the establishment of short-term tourist apartments shall be prohibited while at Palma de Mallorca, dockings of cruise ships were restricted. Limits are enforced on visits by tourists of Tenerife to natural parks, and in Seville, entry fees to famous Plaza de España.
Still, local leaders believe that “tourism-phobia” is growing, which would alienate visitors and undermines the essential economic strength of tourism. The protests also point to deeper problems in the Spanish economy: almost half of renting families are faced with poverty or social exclusion. There is no easy solution between economic dependency on tourism and the quality of life of residents, a challenge continuing to build pressure across Spain.