Eve here. Most people consider tourism to be an economic bounty, even if they are inconvenient and a bit rough. Barcelona shows that excessive levels can lead to social instability. A more common version of the tourism pushback is a situation like the Taj Mahal, where the level of visits damages the irreplaceable “attraction”.
by Claudio Milano Research, a lecturer and consultant at the University of Barcelona. Antonio Paolo Russo, Professor Robila I Virgili, University. and Marina Novelli. Professor of Marketing and Tourism and Director of the Center for Advanced Research in Sustainable Travel and Tourism at the University of Nottingham. Originally published in conversation
On April 27, 2024, near the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, touring buses were blocked, water pistols were sprayed, and banners with the slogan “Let’s launch a tourist fire” stuck in front. It was the headline of the director’s protest against tourism, highlighting the growing tension between the tourism procession and the increased backlash of local voices.
The massive protests have made Barcelona synonymous with social resistance to the negative impacts of predatory and extracted tourism, but that is far from alone. Popular destinations such as the Canary Islands, Malaga and the Balearic Islands have seen massive protests over tourism last year.
People are tired of it, and there are literally writing on the wall. Scribed with the slogan “Tourists Go Home,” tourist apartments have almost ubiquitous sighs in many Spanish cities. But it is not the individual tourists who are responsible, but the overreliance on tourism that has driven countless residents out of their homes and neighbourhoods over decades.
But how did you get here? As international travel recovered in the wake of the Covid-19 lockdown, Barcelona and other Mediterranean cities have returned with an astonishing number of tourists. This led to increased social national rest as local communities became increasingly frustrated by how communities reshape urban space with their experiences.
Artist mural, Eliastaño, located in Valencia’s central El Carmen district, features another common anti-tourism slogan. Nicholas Vigya
Residents’ concerns range from housing shortages and job anxiety to environmental damage. Private-pursuits in public spaces are also on the Barcelona agenda, exacerbated by high-profile events such as the 2024 America’s Cup and the Formula One Grand Prix, which have little benefit to local residents.
The ongoing backlash marks a “sufficient enough” moment that cannot be dismissed as merely a disadvantage or ninbism. Interada reflects structural inequality and deeper conflicts with the dynamics of forces that underpin the unchecked growth of the sectors of urban space, social justice, and tourism.
Evolving activities
Barcelona’s anti-tourism activities date back to mid-2010, when neighbours like Barceloneta first challenged the role of tourism to expel residents. Since then, groups such as Tourism Degrowth (ABDT) neighbourhood rallies have opposed the Agosto police, which promotes excessive reliance on the tourism economy.
ABDT prefers “tourism” over “overtourism.” According to them, the concept of “overtourism” depoliticizes the problem and frams it as well as the simple problem of having too many visitors. They say the problem is the result of structural inequality linked to capitalism accumulation, the extractive nature of tourism, and sectors that seduce community wealth in private hands.
What distinguishes this current wave of behaviorism from its present presentational is the transition from dull opposition to offering organized, constructive proposals. At one massive demonstration in Barcelona in July 2024, activists will pursue a move to the environmental socioeconomics, calling for clear measures to reduce economic dependence on tourism.
The main demands call for the termination of public subsidies to promote tourism, prevent housing losses due to regulations on short-term rentals, reduce cruise ship traffic, and improve working conditions with fair wages and stable working schedules. The manifesto urged leaders to diversify the economy away from tourism, reuse tourism facilities for social use, and develop programs that support unstable workers.
ABDT’s 13-point manifesto. Milan et al. 2024
This movement shows no signs of slowing down. On the weekend of April 27, 2025, just a year after the episode of Water Pistol, Southern Europe for the Tourism Network gathered in Barcelona to agree to a shared political agenda. They also convinced the coordinated demonstrations in multiple cities in southern Europe on June 15, 2025.
The marginalized group was hit hardest
Anti-tourist behaviorism has been challenged by Thue, who already has an interest in tourism, and is labeled either Everyher “Tourismmphobia” or “Nimbyism.” This is a desire to protect my area from unnecessary development (derives from ACRONM, “not on my back.”).
These labels ignore the fact that tourism-driven economies most strongly influence marginalized groups with little political power, such as Tenz, immigrants, unstable seasonal workers, and unguided youth. Social movements in Mediterranean cities took this to heart and expanded anti-tourism to address more general government inactions regarding housing, labor rights, climate action and the defense of public spaces.
These moves face complex and interrelated challenges of tourism, including division of labor, gender inequality and capital concentration. They are also importantly living proof that many residents are seeking the welfare of their communities around economic growth.
Scholars and politicians are failing
Both policymakers and academics are insufficient to address the concerns of protest. Countless research focuses on topics such as space management, green tourism and tourism as tools of empowerment. However, few people explore the experiences of people living in tourist hotspots and how to generate unstable working conditions, social exclusion and environmental environments.
As a result, Polly now aims primarily to manage visitors and transport, rather than to stifle tourism growth or address power imbalances. This limited approach fails to resolve the root cause of the problem, only perpetuating inequality.
Beyond urban transformation, tourism reliance on unstable labor is an immediate issue. Many jobs in this sector are low pay, unacceptable and extremely loud. International organizations and urban authorities promote tourism as a driving force for economic prosperity and job creation, but the question of “what kind of employment is it?” is a question. It doesn’t look too good.
Future needs to have more and more abundant cross-studies, and longitudinal special and ethnographic studies examining the impacts of tourism on class, gender and environmental. This draws it from current advocates, growing thinking, that develop product policies at all levels and is social fuel supply conflict and inequality.
Rather than viewing protests as an annoyance of an isolated, single issue, it should be understood as part of a broader conflict for social justice. This move illustrates community welfare, a priority for joint manufacturing alternatives and economic growth.
Rethinking city tourism means not only surviving it but re-suspending it as a place where its residents can thrive. To achieve this, we need to address density inequality at the heart of the tourism process.
