‘Tourismophobia’ is on the rise in Spain

Madrid. Andrew H. is a young Dutch tourist who shared on his social media what he experienced during his holiday in Barcelona, ​​just a few weeks ago: We were having dinner on a terrace and suddenly we were shouted at and insulted and water was thrown at us. It was clear that we were not welcome. And I understand why, in my city, Amsterdam, I feel the same frustration at the constant and massive invasion.This young man was one of the tourists who experienced first-hand the weariness and desperation of hundreds of Barcelona residents who took to the streets to express their rejection of mass tourism, which increases the degradation of the city and the gradual but constant expulsion of native residents.

In recent weeks, Spain has become the nerve center of the so-called tourismophobiawhich is actually a wake-up call to the authorities, to the economic sectors involved in the sector and to the citizens themselves to reflect on the drift of tourism, which is experiencing a moment of boom and splendor in economic terms, but which at the same time is causing serious problems of coexistence and deterioration of the cities and countries with the most success in this area. In Spain, specific actions have already been taken, head-on clashes with tourists or foreign visitors in Barcelona, ​​Palma de Mallorca, Cadiz, Malaga, Tenerife, Ibiza and Seville, where cries of the type have been heard Tourists, get out of here, We don’t want them, leave our cities alone o Tourists out of our neighborhoods.

Andrew H.’s testimony reflects a paradox of our time: the condition of touristswhich many people assume when they travel, becomes a double-edged sword when one suffers in the cities one lives in, especially if they are places where the arrival of foreign visitors is massive and increasingly overwhelming each year.

In Spain, the data speak for themselves: in 2023, 85 million tourists visited the country, that is, almost double the national population. Even in just one year, this figure increased by almost 20 percent and is already among the three countries with the most tourists in the world, accompanied by the United States and France. The rise in tourism has also caused the economy to become dependent on the companies and sectors that emerge alongside it, representing just over 14 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) and an economic impact that in 2023 amounted to 108,662 million euros, 25 percent more than in 2022, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INE).

One of the problems of tourism in Spain is the high concentration of visitors in some cities, such as Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Palma de Mallorca, Malaga or Ibiza, which has in turn caused overcrowding that alters the price of housing or completely transforms neighborhoods and their daily dynamics, turning local commerce into simple utilitarian links in this implacable chain.

As a result of this overwhelming massification, neighborhood platforms have emerged that have begun to act frontally against tourists, with concentrations in their meeting places to invite them to leave, with symbolic attacks with water pistols and the distribution of leaflets detailing the consequences of mass tourism in cities.

Protest against excessive tourism and high housing prices on the island of Mallorca. Photo Afp

The non-governmental organization Greenpeace has echoed this debate, in which it recognizes that Perhaps we are becoming more and more aware of how we should travel and also that perhaps to enjoy rest, scenery and good food, it is not necessary to go to very far away destinations in very polluting means, seeing the impact of mass tourism and the problems it generates in the use of resources, in transport, in waste collection, and water consumption. So we are becoming more and more aware of how we would like to travel ourselves..

Barcelona economist Pablo Díaz Luque, who has researched the issue, makes a reflection that includes the impact on the economy of such an important sector: Tourism generates a lot of work and wealth, but at the same time, travelling has become a kind of commodity that was democratized at the end of the last century by low-cost companies, especially airlines. Not to mention that emerging economies, such as India and China, are incorporating this activity and that these two countries alone have more than 3 billion inhabitants..

Pili Malagarriga, founder of the Second World platform, which promotes global civic responsibility, explains that In many regions, large-scale tourism development has not improved the quality of life of their communities, but has sometimes deteriorated it. Therefore, the tendency to consider it as a less desirable practice is slowly but steadily gaining ground..

Pere Joan Femenia, spokesman for the platform against mass tourism in Palma de Mallorca, explained that the protests in the streets are a turning point, a blow on the table, and the beginning of actions and mobilizations on the four islands, not only in Mallorca, which will extend beyond the summer and with which we want to send a clear message: Tourists, go back to your homes and leave us alone..

From the other side of the table, the president of the Tourism Board, Juan Molas, points out that This type of action against foreign tourists is always a cause for concern, as it not only generates a great media impact, but can also negatively influence the perception of Spain as a destination. This perception can have serious consequences, as some tour operators would choose to divert their clients to other destinations, causing great losses to the Spanish tourism industry. It is therefore essential that we address this problem promptly, based on a clear strategy between the different actors, to continue perpetuating the image of Spain as an attractive and safe destination..

The Spanish Minister of Tourism, the socialist Jordi Hereu, who was also mayor of Barcelona for a time, is trying to rectify the situation with an idea: “Spain is a country of hospitality, in which the tourismophobia It does not reflect reality, but it is important to respond to citizen discontent with public policies.”