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2024 has been the year when Spaniards have spoken out against their mass tourism model and the impact it’s having on their lives, in particular how it’s contributing to the country’s housing crisis.
The country’s overtourism problems are not actually new, but a surge in visitors since the end of the pandemic, the acute proliferation of Airbnb-style lets and soaring rent and property prices have finally pushed Spaniards to take to the streets.
Numerous mass protests have given the issue plenty of national and international coverage, and although demonstrators have often stressed they don’t have anything against tourists per se, a minority of the population are putting the blame on holidaymakers, even on foreigners as a whole.
READ ALSO: Spain braces for weekend of protests against mass tourism
We recently published a survey asking our readers who foreign residents in Spain to give us their views on the anti-mass tourism movement and how, if at all, it’s affected them. Here’s what you had to say.
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As a foreign resident in Spain, have you been affected by overtourism and the anti-tourism movement in your part of the country?
We received a mix of responses to this question, with the defining factor being where our readers are based.
For 63-year-old South African Fiona Missett, who lives in Mallorca, her coastal town has been “overrun with tourists for many years now, but over the last two decades it has steadily become unbearable.
“The town has been hollowed out by houses being converted into holiday accommodation; rents have soared, pricing out locals; the constant change of visitors has stripped the place of any sense of community,” she explained.
Others such as 64-year-old Briton Will explained how he feels “some unease as a resident of Málaga with how rental and real estate prices have increased so much these last two years. Ordinary Malagueños are being priced out and that is not good.”
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How affected one feels by the anti-tourism movement is also based on subjectiveness. For example, two respondents in Valencia gave us opposing views, from saying they weren’t affected at all to “yes, too many damn tourists!”.
Then there are those who have a vested interest in tourism or rent out property in Spain, such as non-resident Sarah, who has holiday lets in Benalmádena and Vélez de Benaudalla in Andalusia.
She told The Local “I pay a 20 percent excess on my community fees. I employ an accountant and local housekeepers, handymen, and contractors etc. My guests hire cars and spend money in local cafes, shops, bars etc and at visitor attractions. They also spend money on taxis and public transport. Tourists should be welcomed!”.
READ ALSO: Who owns all the Airbnb-style lets in Spain?
What are your views on the protests against overtourism? Do you support them or do you think they’re damaging for Spain?
An overwhelming majority of respondents said they were in favour of the protests and that they were “understandable”, as long as they remained peaceful.
“Water pistols are stupid,” concluded 70-year-old Valencia-based American Jim, alluding to the protest in Barcelona in which tourists were sprayed with water.
The general consensus is that overtourism is “bad for everyone” and that the Spanish government has to find a solution that works for all sides.
“It’s about time!,” argues Fiona. “Spain should stop being so smug about tourism and the authorities should turn their thoughts to encouraging proper economic diversification.
Protests against mass tourism have multiplied in recent months across Spain, the world’s second-most visited country. (Photo by Josep LAGO / AFP)
Fifty-four-year-old Brit Toni, who has lived in Barcelona for three years, told The Local how “I’ve seen how rental prices have soared. I think it’s wrong that Spanish people cannot afford to live in their own city. I plan to move out of Barcelona myself in the next 1-2 years because it’s becoming too expensive.”
However, for some readers the protests have become misdirected. “While I understand their concern, they are pointing falsely to the cause of escalated prices. There are many Spaniards buying to rent, and private equity firms and real estate investment trusts buying up property,” argues John, who swapped Florida for Valencia.
For Paul, a UK national living in Valencia, “the issue is not the tourists but the negative impact on many Spanish people relating to services and housing. The government has no clear policy”.
OPINION: Spaniards should blame landlords, not tourists
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Are you concerned the anti-tourism sentiment will end up targeting foreign residents who live in Spain?
Again, our readers showed mixed views regarding this matter, with most seeing animosity redirected at foreign residents as a possibility or “inevitable”, but also hoping that Spaniards “don’t categorise us with tourists”.
For the past five years, Irishman Sean, who lives in Málaga province, has noticed a “gradual change in Spanish people” from those working in hospitality to doctors, which he puts down to a “conscious bias fuelled mainly by anti-tourism”.
“Some anti-foreigner resentment may grow, but I think most concerns will remain about the effect of tourism on housing as well as on the goods and services that are provided in neighbourhoods that cater to tourism,” argues Kerry, an American living in Girona.
The general consensus is that learning the language, following the rules and integrating is the best way to show that foreign residents are not the problem, and that such efforts should be recognised.
READ ALSO: Good tourist, bad tourist – How to travel responsibly in Spain