Hundreds of thousands protest overtourism in Spain as Brits face a summer of fury ...0

MADRID – Protesters in Mallorca staged the first demonstration of the year against overtourism as tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in 40 cities across Spain to demand an answer to the country’s housing crisis.

“Less tourism, more life,” read one homemade banner as demonstrators marched through the centre of Palma, the capital of the island, which is a popular tourist destination for Britons.

Protest groups said the authorities on the Spanish island had failed to address the growing problem of overtourism and warned tourists to stay away.

“Let’s change course. Let’s put limits on tourism,” read one banner, while another said “Mallorca is not for sale”.

Other banners were directed at so-called “vulture funds” or companies which buy up property, turn it into tourist accommodation and make money at the expense of residents.

Spain is struggling to cope with a booming tourism sector, which accounts for about 12 per cent of gross domestic product, and a housing crisis which protest groups claim is linked to more tourist flats in resorts and major cities.

Protests were planned in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and other cities across the country which were organised by groups demanding access to affordable housing.

Neus Lopez, one of the campaigners in Mallorca, insisted the protesters were not against tourists.

“We want to ban tourist rentals. Regulate the price of rental homes. These protests reflect the rising discontent among people over the rising cost of housing and access to rental accommodation which is caused by tourism,” she told The i Paper.

“We have demonstrated today so show that we will not put up with this anymore. We are not against tourists, but this level of tourism is making the island impossible to live in.”

Ms Lopez said protests across Spain reflected the need for authorities to address the lack of affordable housing.

Fifteen protest groups from Spain, Portugal, Italy and France will meet in Barcelona later this month to discuss how they can stage demonstrations across Europe this summer.

Protests took place in more than 30 cities across Spain, highlighting growing concerns over unaffordable rent and the housing crisis. (Photo by Diego Radames/Anadolu via Getty Images)‘Mallorca is not for sale’ reads a protest banner held by a girl in a march against housing prices and the impact of tourism on the residents of the Balearic Islands, in Palma, Mallorca, Spain, April 5, 2025. (Photo: Reuters)‘Tourism kills city’ reads a sticker stuck on a restaurant’s banner. (Photo: Reuters)Spain is struggling to cope with a booming tourism sector, which accounts for about 12 per cent of gross domestic product. (Photo: Reuters)

UK holidaymakers’ plans could be disrupted

With the prospect of another wave of demonstrations in holiday resorts this summer, British tourists may find their summer holidays disrupted.

Six protest groups based on Mallorca issued a statement last month warning locals were no longer friendly towards tourists.

“Mallorca is not the paradise they are selling you. The local population is angry and no longer hospitable because the land we love is being destroyed and many of us must leave the island because it is uninhabitable,” it said.

“It is time to take a stand. Our leaders do not listen to us, so we ask you: DO NOT COME. We do not need more tourists, in fact you are the source of our problem.”

Spain’s Balearic Islands regional government announced in March that they will increase the tourist tax and put a new levy on hire cars as the archipelago tries to contain overtourism.

The islands’ regional government said the tourist tax would rise from €4 (£3.40) to a maximum of €6 (£5.10) a night per person in the high season in summer.

The tax rise, which needs to be approved by the regional parliament, will apply at four different rates from March to December, with January and February being exempt.

Cruise passengers visiting the Balearic Islands between June and August, will see their tourist tax tripled from €2 (£1.70) to €6 (£5.10) for each night they stay.

The planned levy on hire cars will be for vehicles arriving on the islands from elsewhere, affecting tourists and hire car companies who ship in vehicles for the summer months.

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