Steve Heapy, chief executive of the airline and tour operator Jet2 which is one of the major operators to Spain, said there was a “perception” among some people that foreign visitors were no longer welcome in the country.
It follows a series of similar protests in holiday destinations across Spain last year.
Tourists sunbathe on Punta Prima Beach on the Balearic island of Menorca. Spain welcomed a record 17 million foreign tourists in the first three months of 2025, official data showed on 5 May (Photo: Jaime Reina / AFP via Getty Images)
He went on: “It is becoming a big issue unfortunately, and perception becomes truth.”
“If you’re going on holiday with your kids and you hear there might be anti-tourism protests in a destination, you might think again about going there,” he said.
Issues such as uncertainty over visitor numbers, unpaid tourist taxes and properties that “could be death traps” were among the issues, he said.
The i Paper reported last year how gangs who run illegal tourist flats in Barcelona make millions of euros each month.
Activists stop a tourist bus with water pistols in front of La Sagrada Familia Basilica to protest against overtourism in Barcelona last month (Photo: Bruna Casas/ Reuters)Mr Heapy said if he were a politician he would introduce fines of “a quarter of a million euros” for Airbnb hosts found not to have the required licences or tax records.
“It is certainly getting into the minds of people who are booking holidays in Spain and the travel trade is working hard to reassure people that the [protests] are not happening on a daily basis,” Mr Waine, 41, from London, told The i Paper.
Manuel Butler, director of the Spanish Tourist Office in London, insisted it was “important to distinguish between specific local tensions and the broader national picture”.
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“Where protests have occurred — in cities such as Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca and Santa Cruz [de Tenerife] — concerns stem from broader societal issues: housing pressures, rising costs of living, and environmental strain in high-density areas.”
Spain is the most popular overseas destination for British tourists, with more than 18 million visits last year.
“It is our priority to protect and nurture this relationship for the future.”
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