An overtourism protester has delivered a chilling warning to travellers heading to Spain, Italy, France and Portugal this summer. Elena Boschi said protest groups want tourists to be afraid of the backlash against soaring tourist numbers among locals. She told the Mirror: “We want tourists to have some level of fear about the situation – without fear there is no change.”
Ms Boschi, 46, from Genoa, Italy, added: “Our cities and regions are not for sale and there is an urgent need to limit the growth of tourism, demand a change of course and decide on a path to tourism de-growth as a way out.” Fellow activist, Daniel Pardo, told the publication demonstrations at airports are a possibility. He added: “It is difficult to say because each territory will decide how they want to take action. There is no one set strategy.”
In Spain, marches are set to be held on the Balearic Islands of Majorca and Ibiza, as well as in Barcelona on the mainland.
The campaigners were speaking at a three-day meeting of protesters from groups across southern Europe who together form an umbrella organisation called SET European Network Against Touristification.
They are calling for an end to “predatory tourism” which they allege leaves locals unable to afford to buy or rent property in holiday hotspots and damages the environment.
While some protesters wanted to scare tourists, others were keen to say they weren’t against visitors, but opposed cities and regions no longer being nice places for locals to live in when overrun.
One person at the summit, who didn’t want to be named, said people need to consider how it would feel like if it were happening in their hometown.
They added: “We’re not interested in scaring anyone. It’s just about being mindful of the impact tourism can have on local communities.”
Last year, the estimated number of tourist overnight stays in the European Union hit 2.99 billion, an increase of 53.4 million on 2023, according to Eurostat. The rise was mostly accounted for by international travellers.
Numbers plummeted when coronavirus halted tourism, with countries imposing strict travel bans at the height of the pandemic. But tourism has surged since restrictions were eased.
But while the tourism industry has welcomed the tourists’ return, locals in holiday hotspots such as the Canary Islands, Balearic Islands and Barcelona have taken to the streets in protest.
Over 150,000 protesters joined a march in Madrid this month, according to a local tenants’ union, and the Majorcan capital Palma saw more than 50,000 join demonstrations, warning “Majorca is not for sale”.
Some destinations have imposed tourist taxes or started to charge day-trippers entry. This includes Venice which levies an arrivals tax in an attempt to combat overtourism.
Visitors who download a QR code at least three days in advance pay just over £4 (five euros) — the same rate charged when the scheme was piloted last year. People who make last-minute plans to enter the historic canal city have to pay double.
Venice made just over £2million (2.4m euros) during 2024’s pilot programc, but running costs for the new system ran to £2.3m (2.7m euros).
Tourism officials project a surplus of about £856,000 to £1.3m (1m to 1.5m euros) this year, which will be used to offset the cost of bin collections and other services for Venetians.