Image Credentials: Image Title: “Your Holidays, Our Misery”: Protesters Across Southern Europe Decry Overtourism Source: (sora.chatgpt) Date: June 2025 Attribution: Created by AI-generated imagery (sora.chatgpt), it does not depict a real-world scene.
The European Chronicle – June 16, 2025
By Staff Writer with Agencies
BARCELONA, SPAIN – Cities across southern Europe were swept by a wave of coordinated protests on Sunday as thousands took to the streets to voice growing frustration over overtourism. Demonstrators in Spain, Italy, and Portugal rallied under the banner of the SET alliance (Sud d’Europa contra la Turistitzacio), a grassroots movement calling for urgent action to curb the spiraling effects of mass tourism on local communities.
In Barcelona, the epicenter of the protests, residents marched through the city’s historic quarters, shouting slogans such as “Your holidays, my misery” and “Mass tourism kills the city.” Banners denouncing tourism-driven displacement and gentrification were hoisted high, as colored smoke filled the air and water pistols were aimed at shopfronts catering to tourists.
“I’m very tired of being a nuisance in my city,” said Eva Vilaseca, 38, a Barcelona resident participating in the demonstration. “The solution is to propose a radical decrease in the number of tourists in Barcelona and bet on another economic model that brings prosperity to the city.”
Tourism Boom, Local Bust
Barcelona, a city of 1.6 million, hosted a staggering 26 million visitors in 2024. While tourism remains a vital part of the Spanish economy, residents and activists argue that the unchecked influx of visitors has driven up housing costs, displaced long-term residents, and hollowed out local culture.
City authorities estimate that around 600 protesters participated in Sunday’s protest. Demonstrators placed stickers reading “Neighborhood self-defense, tourist go home” on hotel windows, with some hotel workers reportedly clashing verbally with the marchers. One employee tried to defend his presence, saying, “I’m only working here,” as tensions flared.
The Barcelona city council announced last year a bold plan to ban tourist apartment rentals by 2028, a move hailed by some residents as a step in the right direction, though critics argue it may not go far enough.
Southern Solidarity
The unrest was not confined to Catalonia. Protests erupted in Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, Malaga, Granada, and San Sebastian. Across the Mediterranean, Italians in Venice, Milan, Naples, Palermo, and Genoa marched against similar grievances. In Venice, locals rallied against the construction of two new hotels that will bring an additional 1,500 tourist beds to the overcrowded lagoon city.
Protesters argue that while tourism may bring short-term jobs, it creates long-term instability by making cities unaffordable and unlivable for their residents.
A separate demonstration was also scheduled in Lisbon, Portugal, where activists echoed concerns about rising rents and the erosion of local identity.
Tourism Industry Booms Amid Backlash
The protests come at a time when international travel spending in Europe is expected to rise by 11% this year, reaching $838 billion, according to industry analysts. Spain and France are forecast to see record tourist arrivals in 2025, a statistic that offers little comfort to those being priced out of their neighborhoods.
The SET alliance is demanding that local and national governments enforce caps on tourist numbers, increase protections for tenants, and invest in sustainable economic alternatives that do not rely on mass tourism.
As the summer season heats up, so too does the battle over who cities truly belong to—the tourists who come for a few days, or the residents who call them home.