Holidaymakers sprayed by water pistols in Barcelona as part of organised anti-tourism protests across Europe
Barcelona protesters tell tourists to ‘go home’
- Thousands of protesters have demonstrated against overtourism in major cities across southern Europe, including Barcelona, Lisbon, and Venice.
- In Barcelona, which attracted 26 million tourists in 2024, protesters targeted hotels and shops with slogans like "mass tourism kills the city" and "your holidays, my misery".
- Protesters say uncontrolled tourism is pricing local residents out of their neighbourhoods. Stickers displayed on buildings said “tourist go home”.
- Similar demonstrations occurred in other Spanish cities like Ibiza, Malaga, and Palma de Mallorca, and in Italian cities including Genoa, Naples, and Venice, where locals are opposing new hotel construction.
- Barcelona's city government plans to bar apartment rentals to tourists by 2028 to improve living conditions for residents.