Anti-tourism protests are probable to spread out
Situation ‘out of balance’ as local people are priced out of housing and frustrated by hordes of selfie-seekers
Surging visitor numbers, soaring housing prices and the rise of selfie-seeking tourists have helped to create situations that are “totally out of balance”, a Unesco official has said, adding that a failure to address these issues could see the Spanish wave of protests against mass tourism extend across Europe.
In recent weeks tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in Spain’s most popular destinations, calling for curbs on mass tourism and a rethink of a business model that they say has pushed up housing prices and driven local people out of cities.
From Málaga to Mallorca and Gran Canaria to Granada, organisers have stressed that the protests are not against tourism, per se, but rather a call for a more balanced approach.
It’s a sentiment echoed by Peter DeBrine, Unesco’s senior project officer for sustainable tourism. “What we’re seeing is that we’re breaching a threshold of tolerance in these destinations,” he said. “It’s really trying to rebalance the situation. It’s totally out of balance now.”
He pointed to a myriad of factors to explain why many in Spain – long one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations – were now leading the backlash against the industry. Chief among them was the housing crisis, he said, describing it as the “straw that breaks the camel’s back”.
Tourism has exacerbated existing concerns over the affordability of housing, as the spread of short-term accommodation squeezes local residents out of the market. “I think that added a lot of anxiety and frustration for people who are living in these destinations,” said DeBrine.
Workers in places such as Ibiza have found themselves with little choice but to live in vans, caravans and tents, while in Málaga, a “sticker rebellion” has seen residents plaster stickers – reading “A family used to live here” or “Go home” – outside tourist lets across the city.
As Spain goes from one record-breaking year to another, the rocketing number of visitors was another factor that had contributed to the protests, said DeBrine. “I think in certain destinations, certainly there is also the way that tourists behave,” he said. “I think that also adds to it – you know, the tourists that aren’t respecting those destinations where they’re travelling.”
Destinations across Spain have long sought to push back against what local people describe as antisocial behaviour: introducing dress codes, cracking down on alcohol sales and – as happened recently in one resort town – moving to ban inflatable penis costumes and sex dolls.
Unesco has long promoted travel, pointing to its singular ability to foster an appreciation of cultural heritage across the globe. But in a time of social media, this ideal had seemingly become a tougher sell, said DeBrine.
“I mean, we have also evolved into what I call a selfie-motivated tourism,” he said. “You know, they just want to take a photo of something without really any understanding of what it is and what it means to our past and future.”
Frustration with the growing hordes of selfie-seekers was on display in Mallorca in June, as hundreds staged a protest in a picturesque cove to complain about the overcrowding and environmental degradation wrought by the many Instagrammers and influencers flocking to the site to capture the perfect picture.
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