Airports facing chaos this summer as European anti-tourism protesters issue warning
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British holidaymakers looking forward to European summer breaks could be in for a headache, as anti-tourism protests threaten to bring chaos to airports.
Disgruntled locals in Spain, Italy, France, and Portugal are hinting at potential protests within airport terminals to dissuade tourists, blaming mass tourism for skyrocketing rents and the loss of affordable housing as properties are turned into tourist rentals and land is purchased for resort development.
The Mirror received a stark warning from Elena Boschi, a vocal protester at a Barcelona summit, who said: "We want tourists to have some level of fear about the situation – without fear there is no change."
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The 46 year old English language teacher and activist from Genoa elaborated on the necessity of curbing tourism growth and considered tourism de-growth as an escape route.
Our journalist probed further about the possibility of demonstrations affecting airports, as hinted by protestors' discussions. Movement leader Daniel Pardo told our reporter: "It is a possibility – but, it is difficult to say because each territory will decide how they want to take action, there is no one set strategy."
The SET European Network Against Touristification, a collective of protest groups from 17 southern European cities, islands, and communities, has convened for a three-day summit to demand an end to "predatory tourism". They argue that such tourism has resulted in residents being "unable to pay the high rents or buy a home" and has caused "beaches and natural areas [to be] visibly damaged.", reports the Mirror.
In Spain, average rents have doubled and house prices have surged by over 44% in the last ten years, with residential rental availability plummeting since the pandemic in 2020. Concurrently, short-term rentals have proliferated in major urban and coastal areas, pushing out local Spanish families.
The summit follows massive protests across Spain last summer, where hundreds of thousands marched in 40 cities. In Palma, Mallorca, over 50,000 demonstrators took to the streets between May and July, brandishing signs proclaiming: "Mallorca is not for sale" and "no houses without people, nor people without houses."
Earlier this month, further protests erupted. Madrid saw over 150,000 marchers, as reported by the local tenants' union.
Maria Cardona, a SET Network member from Ibiza, hinted that protestors are prepared to escalate their actions "one step further" this coming summer.
"The housing situation is really dramatic, there are hundreds of people living in tents and in cars so I think a lot of protest groups will be prepared to take more decisive action," she disclosed. "On Ibiza, we also have a shortage of water and this is a problem in the winter, so you can imagine in the summer when there is triple the number of people on the island."
Despite the likelihood of protests, it's important to note that many campaigners have stressed they aren't against holidaymakers. "We are not against tourists, but what we don't welcome is a way of being in our cities and regions that turns it into a place that is no longer nice to live in for us."
voiced one member who preferred to stay anonymous.
"People need to think what it would feel like if this were happening in their hometown – we're not interested in scaring anyone. It's just about being mindful of the impact tourism can have on local communities."
Spain's reliance on tourism cannot be overstated with an astonishing 94 million visitors last year, including at least 17.5 million Brits, marking Spain as the world's second most visited nation, just behind France. Moves to regulate tourism effects have commenced locally as well; notably in Barcelona where authorities have promised to gradually eliminate the city's 10,000 permits for short-term rentals, a lot of which feature on rental platforms like Airbnb, planning to accomplish this by 2028.
In 2018, the SET European Network Against Touristification emerged to combat the negative impacts of mass tourism. At their Barcelona summit, they handed out leaflets claiming: "Early action aimed at imposing limits on tourism is an expression of a growing collective awareness that transcends borders.
"Each demonstration marks a moment, and perhaps, a turning point - we must push for the changes and policies that our cities and regions, the people who live in them and the whole planet need."
Last year's statistics highlighted Europe as the most-visited region globally, with 747 million international arrivals. The SET network has announced protest plans starting June 15, involving destinations like the Canary Islands, Ibiza, Mallorca, Barcelona, and San Sebastian.
Activists from places including Santander, Genoa, Pamplona, Lisbon, Marseille, Milan, Naples, Palermo, the Pyrenees, Rimini, Valence, and Venice are also part of the movement.
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