Return of the water pistols: Anti-tourism protests grip Barcelona, Mallorca and other cities

MIRRORING the scenes that marred the summer of 2024, thousands of protestors took to the streets across Spain over the weekend to call for a curb on mass tourism.

In Barcelona, hundreds of locals gathered armed with water pistols, replicating a similar rally held last year that hit international headlines after tourists eating their dinner were sprayed with water.

According to local police, over 600 activists lined the streets to rally against overtourism under the slogan: “Tourism steals our bread, homes and future.”

Organisers claim over 3,000 people attended the demonstration.

Some held signs that read ‘Guiris go home’, while others targeted the high-end designer chain Louis Vuitton store on Passeig de Gracia, the city’s famous thoroughfare.

At one point, the protest almost turned violent after protestors were confronted by a worker from a popular hostel in the L’Eixample district.

Generator, a cost-friendly favourite with foreign visitors, was targeted with water pistols, tape and stickers, prompting an angry reaction from a staff member.

Hundreds of protestors marched along Barcelona’s famous thoroughfares in a return to the anti-tourism protests that marred last year’s summer. Credit: Cordon Press

Protestors also voiced their opposition to a proposed expansion to Barcelona’s El-Prat airport, approved by socialist Catalan president Salvador Illa earlier last week.

Elsewhere, protests were organised in Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, San Sebastian, Granada and Malaga.

There were even demonstrations further afield. Protestors took to the streets in Lisbon, the Portuguese capital, as well as in Italian hotspots Venice, Genova, Palermo, Milan and Naples.

The coordinated protests were organised under the umbrella of the SET alliance – Sud d’Europa contra la Turistització (‘Southern Europe Against Overtourism’).

Many locals argue that uncontrolled mass tourism is driving sky-high rental prices, forcing many to abandon their neighbourhoods and head to the suburbs.

Last month, the Spanish government announced plans to clamp down on over 60,000 illegal listings on Airbnb, the popular tourist rental site.

Many blame tourist apartments for huge increases in rent. Across Spain, the average monthly rent has doubled over the past decade.

However, Spain is the world’s second most popular tourist destination after France, with 94 million foreign visitors in 2024, a 13% rise on the previous year.

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