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Overtourism is causing a backlash in Spain

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Anti-tourism movements are proliferating in Spain, the world’s second most visited country, prompting authorities to try to reconcile the interests of locals and the lucrative sector.

Under the slogan “The Canary Islands have a limit,” a collective of groups on the archipelago off the coast of northwest Africa planned a series of protests for yesterday.

Known for their volcanic landscapes and year-round sunshine, the Canary Islands attract millions of visitors from all over the world.

Groups there want authorities to halt work on two new hotels in Tenerife, the largest and most developed of the archipelago’s seven islands.

They are also demanding that local people have more say in the face of what they see as uncontrolled development that is damaging the environment.

Several members of the ‘Canaries Sold Out’ collective also started an ‘indefinite’ hunger strike last week to put pressure on the authorities. “Our islands are a treasure that must be defended,” the collective said.

The Canary Islands received 16 million visitors last year, more than seven times the population of approximately 2.2 million people.

This is an unsustainable level given the archipelago’s limited resources, Victor Martin, a spokesman for the collective, told a recent news conference, calling it a “suicidal growth model.”

Our concern is to continue to grow tourism in Spain so that it is sustainable and does not cause social resentment– Jose Luis Zoreda vice president of tourism association Exceltur

‘Social aversion’

Similar anti-tourism movements have emerged elsewhere in Spain and are active on social media.

In the southern port of Malaga on the Costa del Sol, a center of the decades-old Spanish tourism model ‘soja y playa’ or ‘sun and beach’, there are stickers with unfriendly slogans such as ‘This was my home’ and ‘Go away’ . home” have appeared on the walls and doors of tourist accommodations.

In Barcelona and the Balearic Islands, activists have placed fake signs at the entrances to some popular beaches warning in English of the risk of “falling rocks” or “dangerous jellyfish”.

Local residents complain that the rise in accommodation supply on short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb has exacerbated the housing shortage and pushed up rental prices, especially in city centres.

The influx of tourists also contributes to noise pollution and environmental pollution, and taxes resources such as water, they add.

In the northeastern region of Catalonia, where a drought crisis was declared in February, anger is growing over the pressure that hotels on the Costa Brava are putting on depleted water reserves.

“Our concern is to continue to grow tourism in Spain so that it is sustainable and does not arouse social resentment,” the vice-president of tourism association Exceltur, Jose Luis Zoreda, told a news conference when asked about the protest movements.

The group said it expects Spain’s tourism sector to post a record turnover of €202.65 billion this year.

Tenerife activists on hunger strike in La Laguna, Tenerife, to protest against mass tourism infrastructure in Spain.Tenerife activists on hunger strike in La Laguna, Tenerife, to protest against mass tourism infrastructure in Spain.

Loudspeaker ban

Before the COVID-19 pandemic brought the global travel industry to its knees in 2020, protest movements against overtourism had already emerged in Spain, especially in Barcelona.

Now that pandemic travel restrictions have been lifted, tourism is back with a vengeance – Spain welcomed a record 85.1 million foreign visitors last year. In response, several cities have taken measures to limit overcrowding.

The northern coastal city of San Sebastian last month limited the size of tourist groups in the center to 25 people and banned the use of loudspeakers during tours.

The southern city of Seville is considering charging non-residents to enter the historic Plaza de España, while Barcelona has removed a bus route popular with tourists from Google Maps to make more room for locals.

Housing Minister Isabel Rodriguez said this weekend that “action must be taken to limit the number of tourist apartments”, but stressed that the government is “aware of the importance of the tourism sector”, which accounts for 12.8 percent of Spain’s economic activity. (AFP)

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