Anti-tourism protests held in Spain, Italy, Portugal

Thousands of protesters on the Spanish island of Mallorca rallied against tourism on Sunday, with some shooting water guns at tourists, local news reported. Police were called out to shield dining tourists after about 100 of the protesters surrounded and jeered at them for around 30 minutes, according to local news. The protest was the largest in a wave of anti-tourism demonstrations across southern Europe on Sunday.

Protesters also gathered in several other Spanish cities, including Barcelona, Ibiza, and Granada, according to Reuters. Some in Barcelona set off firecrackers and smoke bombs outside hotels, according to the Associated Press. In Italy, protesters gathered in cities including Genoa, Naples, Palermo, Milan, and Venice. Protests also broke out in Portugal’s capital of Lisbon, according to Sky News. The group organizing the protests was Sud d'Europa contra la Turistització, which means “Southern Europe against Overtourism” in Catalan, Reuters said.

What do the protesters want? The crowds in Mallorca called for fewer tourists and cheaper housing for locals, many of whom they said are frequently pushed out when properties are converted to short-term rentals for tourists. They also proposed a ban on cruise ships, local news reported. Mallorca had about 960,000 residents in 2024. The Balearic Islands, which include Mallorca, hosted about 17.8 million tourists the previous year. Demonstrators elsewhere made similar demands. In Venice, locals opposed a plan to build two new hotels, which would add about 1,500 new beds to the city, Reuters reported.

Dig deeper: Read Carolina Lumetta’s coverage of the No Kings protests across the United States.