Barcelona residents sprayed water guns at tourists outside luxury shops on Sunday. Protesters in Genoa dragged suitcases through narrow streets.
Locals in Majorca stopped tourist buses with flares and banners. These coordinated demonstrations across southern European cities betray far more than tourist fatigue. They uncover the latest crack in Europe’s widening north-south economic divide.
Housing Crisis Drives Tourist Backlash
The protests arise from housing shortages that locals blame on tourism.
In Barcelona, home to 1.7 million people who welcomed over 26 million tourists last year, residents chanted "Your holidays, my misery."
Short-term rental properties have grown by 25 per cent over two years despite Spain’s housing crisis.
Traditional neighbourhoods have transformed beyond recognition.
Local shops that once served residents now stock tourist souvenirs and swimming gear instead of daily necessities. Young locals cannot afford homes in cities where their families have lived for generations.
Economic Dependence Creates Impossible Bind
Southern European economies built themselves around tourism after earlier industrial decline. In Mallorca, tourism accounts for more than 40 per cent of total income.
Spain's tourism sector made up 12.8 per cent of GDP in 2023, worth €186.6 million.
Joan Mas, a Barcelona waiter, captured the contradiction perfectly: “The general perception is that these people have way more money than we do. The problem is the tourism model itself.”
Southern Europe depends on visitors it can no longer accommodate without destroying what makes these places liveable for locals.
Continental Divide Widens Economic Gaps
The protests reflect broader trends that pull Europe apart along new fault lines.
While northern European economies diversified into technology and manufacturing, southern regions remained dependent on services and tourism. Research documents how the EU’s north-south divide has widened since the 2008 financial crisis, producing what scholars call “institutional divergence.”
Germany and the Netherlands conduct extensive trade beyond EU borders, giving them economic flexibility. Spain, Italy, and Portugal remain more isolated from global commerce, making them vulnerable to single-sector dependence.
Tourism became southern Europe’s economic lifeline, but now that lifeline is choking local communities.
Critics Point to Tourism Revenue Benefits
Tourism defenders argue that visitor spending keeps southern European economies afloat. Spain hosted a record 94 million international visitors in 2024, generating massive revenue and employment. Hotels, restaurants, and transport companies employ millions across the region.
Without tourism income, these critics warn, southern European unemployment would soar. Young people already struggle to find work in economies that offer few alternatives to hospitality jobs.
Sustainable Tourism Model Required Instead
Tourism revenue cannot excuse housing displacement and environmental damage. Barcelona’s government has already banned short-term apartment rentals by 2028.
Spain ordered Airbnb to remove nearly 66,000 illegal listings.
Southern European cities need tourism models that serve local communities alongside visitors. Venice limits daily visitor numbers. Amsterdam restricts new hotels. Barcelona could follow suit by capping tourist accommodation and requiring tourism revenue to fund affordable housing.
Coordinated European Response Needed Now
The protests organised by Southern Europe Against Touristification show how local movements are linking up across borders. Cities from Lisbon to Naples face similar challenges that require coordinated solutions.
European Union cohesion policy should help southern regions diversify their economies away from tourism dependence. Investment in technology, manufacturing, and renewable energy could create alternative employment while preserving what makes these places special. The protests reveal that business as usual is no longer an option.
Barcelona’s water guns and Genoa’s rolling suitcases signal the start of a broader reckoning. Southern European cities must choose between serving tourists and housing their own people.
The squeezed middle ground is rapidly disappearing.
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