Southern Europe Sees Creative Protests Against Mass Tourism Impact

On Sunday, the streets of Barcelona once again filled with protesters wielding water pistols, as thousands took to the city and other southern European locations to voice their opposition to mass tourism.

In Genoa, Italy, activists staged a "noisy stroll" by rolling suitcases through the narrow cobblestone streets of the city center. Meanwhile, in Lisbon, demonstrators transported a handmade effigy of the city’s patron saint from his church to the site earmarked for a future luxury hotel. On the Spanish island of Majorca, residents halted a double-decker tourist bus, ignited flares, and displayed a protest banner across its side.

Barcelona, a focal point for recent anti-overtourism movements, saw demonstrators carrying signs with messages such as "Tourists go home" and "Tourism is stealing from us." The march progressed along the Golden Mile, a street lined with luxury shops and high-end hotels, where protesters sprayed visitors with water outside a Louis Vuitton store. Tensions escalated near a hostel where scuffles broke out involving employees and some protesters setting off fireworks. Police eventually blocked the march near the iconic Sagrada Família Basilica.

These Sunday demonstrations stemmed from a series of workshops held earlier this year in Barcelona by the Southern Europe Network Against Touristification. The workshops built upon protests from the previous July, when squirt guns first became a symbol of resistance against the negative effects of mass tourism.

The movement reflects increasing frustration over quality-of-life issues, notably soaring housing costs and environmental degradation, which organizers attribute to the pressures of overtourism.

"The common feeling is that tourists have far more disposable income than locals—they come to party and rent accommodations that are beyond our financial reach," explained Joan Mas, a 31-year-old waiter living in Barcelona. "The root problem lies in the tourism model itself, which revolves around nightlife, real estate speculation, and the hotel industry."