MADRID – Growing numbers of British holidaymakers are worried they will not be safe in Spain after anti-tourism protests across the country, the boss of a major travel company has warned.
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.
A major protest is planned next month in various parts of Spain by groups who claim that overtourism means locals are being priced out the housing market and the environment is being damaged.
It follows a series of similar protests in holiday destinations across Spain last year.
Speaking at an event at the Spanish embassy in London this week, Mr Heapy said: “We’ve had people ringing the call centre and going into travel agents, asking questions like ‘is Spain safe’, ‘are we still welcome in the resort?’.”
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.”
He said he was not aware of any major rises in cancellations over concerns about the protests, but added he understood clients’ concern.
“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.
Mr Heapy added that “unlicensed tourism”, such as people staying in private accommodation listed on Airbnb, was “causing a huge problem” and “needs to be controlled”.
Issues such as uncertainty over visitor numbers, unpaid tourist taxes and properties that “could be death traps” were among the issues, he said.
“Unfortunately, there’s been a massive explosion in unlicensed tourism properties,” 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)“Airbnb can be controlled. They don’t rule the world. They are an online platform that we can control and put legislation in place,” Mr Heapy said.
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.
Danny Waine, the founder of Travel Nomads, a travel consultancy based in London, agreed that consumers were worried about whether it was safe to travel to Spain.
“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.
“Clients who have seen the pictures from Spain are concerned whether it is safe to travel there.”
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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“The vast majority of Spain remains enthusiastic in welcoming tourists,” he added.
“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.”
He added: “Spain is taking concrete steps to address these issues — through legislation on short-term rentals, tourism taxes in certain regions, and more comprehensive destination management.”
Spain is the most popular overseas destination for British tourists, with more than 18 million visits last year.
Spain’s Secretary of State for Tourism, Rosario Sanchez Grau, said: “We are proud and grateful that Spain remains the number one holiday destination for UK visitors.
“It is our priority to protect and nurture this relationship for the future.”
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