Overtourism puts pressure on health services, waste management, water supplies and housing at the expense of residents.
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As Europe approaches its peak summer season, popular tourist destinations are feeling increasingly stressed.
In some regions, such as Spain, locals are growing weary of the “sun, sex and sangria” tourism that certain destinations have long attracted.
But now the problem is not just nuisance. The increased number of visitors is putting pressure on health services, waste management, water supplies, and housing, taking a toll on residents.
The increased construction of hotels and residential developments is putting historic sites, biodiversity and natural resources at risk.
Discontent has recently boiled over in several European honeypot destinations, forcing local governments to address and reassess the relationship between tourists and residents.
From outspoken graffiti to hunger strikes, here’s how over-tourist destinations are fighting back.
Spain’s popular tourist destination struggles to cope with housing crisis
One of the most pressing effects of overtourism in Spain today is a housing shortage and rising rents for residents.
Malaga locals have expressed their displeasure by pasting stickers on walls and doors in the Spanish city center, telling visitors what they think.
From the rather gentle “This was once my home” (Ante está ela mi casa) and “This was once the center of the city” (Ante est ela el centro) to ” Go home” (a tu puta casa), “smell of tourists” (apestando a turista).
This city on the Costa del Sol has long been a popular destination for foreign tourists, thanks to its sunny climate and relatively low cost of living. However, the number of digital nomads is increasing now, and the housing situation is becoming critical.
The Sticker Initiative was started by bar owner Dani Dranko. In an interview with local newspaper Diario Sur, Dranco explained that he started the campaign after he was “evicted” from the house he had lived in for 10 years.
He claimed that the landlord refused to negotiate the rent or even sell the property because he wanted it to be a short-term rental for tourists.
It’s a story repeated across the country, with landlords evicting long-term residents in favor of vacationers, or raising rents so that only high-income digital nomads can afford them.
The Canary Islands are facing an equally dire situation.
Activists claim that the more than 10 million foreign tourists who vacation on the archipelago each year are ruining life there. Local residents are reportedly sleeping in cars and caves due to soaring housing prices.
One local group said the islands were “disintegrating socially and environmentally” under pressure from mass tourism.
The Ecologists in Action report warned that nearly 34 per cent of the local population, or approximately 800,000 people, are at risk of poverty or social exclusion.
Canary Island residents plan hunger strike over hotel development
The construction of accommodation and services for the Canary Islands’ influx of holidaymakers is also putting pressure on land use, waste management, water supplies and biodiversity.
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A group of activists in Tenerife, Canary Islands, have planned a hunger strike over the construction of two new hotels.
Construction has recently resumed on Hotel La Tejita and Cuna del Alma in Puertoito de Adeje, Tenerife, after authorities had previously halted the work due to environmental violations.
Canarias se Agota (The Canary Islands are sold out) and Canarias se exita (The Canary Islands are exhausted) were published on April 20 in Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and La Palma. We supported the demonstration under the catchphrase, “There is.”
Tens of thousands of residents protested against large-scale tourism, holding placards that read “People live here” and “We don’t want to see our island die.”
Demonstrators in Tenerife said they wanted the island to impose entry restrictions on tourists.
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“Authorities must immediately stop this corrupt and destructive model that depletes resources and makes the economy more unstable,” Antonio Bron, one of the protest leaders, told Reuters.
“There are limits in the Canary Islands, and so is the patience of the people.”
Residents have also resorted to pasting up fake “crowd alert” posters and stickers to try to deter tourists at popular locations.
Venice residents protest new admission fees
Venice is another destination that has long grappled with unsustainable tourist numbers.
Again, the biggest negative impact right now is the continued expansion of short-term rentals. As of last year, the city had more tourist beds than residents.
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Local residents face fewer rental properties and exorbitant fees.
“Every day, people come to our desks with very serious housing problems: homeless people (who often have jobs), people with disabilities living on high floors with no elevators, people living in damp, dilapidated housing. “These are people who live in houses that have been degraded and even declared unsanitary by the state’s health system,” says Susanna Polloni of the Venice-based Housing Solidarity Network.
Venice City Council has allocated 27.7 million euros for the repair and redevelopment of around 500 apartments in the historic centre, islands and mainland.
But there are reportedly about 2,000 properties currently sitting vacant, which Polloni says could have been renovated long ago if money had been better managed.
Activists are using the introduction of a new €5 entry fee for day-trippers on April 25th as an opportunity to make their voices heard.
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Participants planning a demonstration on the day of the inauguration say they want a different vision for the city, one that doesn’t put tourism front and center.
Lawmakers from the Venice Housing and Social Council and the Housing Solidarity Network have criticized the city council’s spending on day trip fees.
“This is a further step towards a Venice, a ‘museum city’, which we do not want, and a step towards the normalization of this image, and the more it enters the international imagination, the more dangerous it becomes.” Poloni says.
“This measure will help make that even more concrete. The monoculture of tourists is currently in the process of displacing the necessities of urban life, such as housing, protected employment, public services, neighborhood shops and crafts. It is a city empty of its inhabitants and souls, given that it has devoured everything.”
The protesters are just some of the many Venetians who believe the municipality’s housing plan is inadequate.
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The council said proceeds from admission fees would go toward services that help city residents, including maintenance, cleaning and lower living costs.
But critics say it has done little to dampen the influx of tourists, which has become one of the main factors behind Venice’s population decline.
Residents of Austrian village erect fence to prevent tourists from taking selfies
Last year too, residents took extreme measures to have their feelings heard.
The stunning backdrop of the town of Hallstatt in the Austrian mountains is thought to have inspired Disney’s Frozen.
For this reason, more than 1 million tourists visit this destination every year, many of whom want to take selfies with the famous views.
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Last year, residents of the town became so frustrated that they erected a fence that prohibits visitors from taking photos.
It was later removed after a backlash on social media, but it was hoped that it would prevent people from gathering at the popular selfie spot, making too much noise and bothering residents.
Activists place fake warning signs on Mallorca beaches
Last summer, activists installed fake warning signs on beaches across Mallorca to deter English-speaking tourists.
Some posters warned of “dangerous jellyfish”, “rockfalls” and seawater contaminated with sewage.
Others said beaches were closed with “no swimming” signs underneath, or warnings that it would take hours to walk there, even though the sea was less than 100 meters away. Ta.
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However, a few short lines written in Catalan underneath made it clear to local residents that these warnings were not genuine.
They explained that “the problem isn’t falling rocks, it’s crowds of tourists,” or “the beaches are open, except for foreigners and jellyfish.”
