The demonstrators in Spain call the tourists to tourists in a demonstration against group tourism and housing costs

The population protested in Spain and many other popular destinations in Europe Collective tourism Sunday, saying that a flood of summer visitors leads the costs of housing in their cities and pays the local residents.

Some demonstrators in Barcelona and on the Spanish island of Mallorca sprayed tourists with water guns.

The protests were part of the first coordinated effort by activists concerned with Ovors treatment in all destinations in southern Europe. While several thousand in Mallorca gathered in the largest gathering per day, hundreds of others gathered in other Spanish cities, as well as in Venice, Italy and Portugal in Lisbon.

“You should bother the tourist squash rifles,” said Andro Martinez in Barcelona with a muffled laugh after he was sitting in an external café. “Barcelona has been handed over to tourists. This is a battle to return Barcelona to its residents.”

Martinez, a 42 -year -old administrative assistant, is one of an increasing number of residents who are convinced that tourism has gone very far in 1.7 million people. Barcelona hosted 15.5 million visitors last year, keen to see Anthony Gaudi Los Angelia Vamilia Basilia and Las Ramblas Promenade.

Martinez says the rent has increased more than 30 % as more apartments are hired in his neighborhood for tourists for short -term stay. He said that there is an impact on traditional stores that are replaced by companies that serve tourists, such as souvenir stores, burger joints and “bubble tea” spots.

“Our life, as residents of life in Barcelona, ​​have ended,” he said. “We are driving systematically.”

About 5,000 people in Palma, the capital of Mallorca, gathered with some water weapons as well as chanting “everywhere you look at, all you see from tourists.” Tourists who were targeting water bombings laughed. Balear island is the favorite of British and German pharaohs. Housing costs have increased as homes are transferred to the short -term rental market.

Hundreds of others walked in Granada, in southern Spain, in the northern city of San Sebastian, as well as the island of Ibiza.

In Venice, a few dozen demonstrators canceled a banner calling for the stopping of the new hotel beds in the city of Lake in front of two recent completed Hikalin, one of them at the historic center of the famous tourist destination where activists say the last resident, an elderly woman, who was expelled last year.

The demonstrators in Barcelona blew a whistle and took homemade signs, saying, “Another tourist, one of them is a resident.” They commented on posters saying “to defend themselves for citizens”, in Al -Katalani, and “Tourists to return home”, in English, with a water pistol drawing on the doors of hotels and hostels.

There was tension when the march stopped in front of a large hostel, as a group of its water rifles emptied two workers at the entrance. They also stopped fireworks next to the youth house and opened a box of pink smoke. One of the workers spit on the demonstrators, whisk the doors of the youth house.

American tourists, Wanda and Bill Dorosinski were walking along the main luxury shopping street in Barcelona, ​​where the protest began. They received a stoch or two, but Wanda said it was actually refreshing given the Fahrenheit weather 83 degrees.

“This is beautiful, thank you, my love,” she said to the decision. “I will not complain. These people feel very personal, and they may destroy some areas (in the city).”

There were also many demonstrators who had a water cannon who did not shoot on pedestrians and instead they only used them to spray themselves to keep cold.

Cities all over the world are struggling with how to deal with group tourism and prosperity in short -term rental platforms, such as Airbnb, but there may have been no increasing place of discontent as in Spain, where The demonstrators in Barcelona I took for the first time to shoot squash rifles on tourists during a protest last summer.

There was also the confluence of supportive and anti -tourism struggles in Spain, where 48 million population welcomed the record of 94 million international visitors in 2024. When thousands walked in the streets of the capital of Spain in April, some held homemade signs saying “Airbnb out of our neighborhoods.”

The Spanish authorities seek to show that they hear the general screaming while not hurting an industry that contributes 12 % of GDP.

Last month, the government of Spain Airbnb order to remove approximately 66,000 vacation rental From the platform he said it violated the local rules.

The Minister of Consumer in Spain, Pablo Boustandoi, told the Associated Press after a short period of Airbnb that the tourism sector “cannot endanger the Spanish people’s constitutional rights,” which devotes their right to housing and luxury. In a separate interview, Carlos Quirbo, Minister of Economy, said that the government realizes that it should address unwanted side effects of group tourism.

Barcelona hall in Barcelona, ​​which amazed Airbnb and other services that help renting real estate for tourists by announcing the elimination of all 10,000 short -term rental licenses in the city by 2028.

This feeling returned to the strength on Sunday, when people carried banners saying, “Airbnb was your home.”

The short -term rental industry, for its part, believes it is not fairly treated.

“I think that many politicians have found an easy scapegoat to bear the shortcomings of their policies in terms of housing and tourism throughout the ten, 15 or 20 years.”

This argument either did not flow to the ordinary population in Barcelona, ​​or do not hesitate to resonate.

Txma Escorsa, a Barcelona teacher, does not only oppose Airbnb in his mother city, he stopped using it even when traveling to another place, motivated by the principle.

“In the end, you realize that this takes away the housing of people,” he said.

In another strategy, last year, Barcelona leaders launched a program to Replace the old infrastructure in public schools To treat increased temperatures, it is paid by a tax on tourists.

“The possibility of using these revenues, tourism tax, for such a project is very important so that we can accept tourism in our city and the role that tourism plays.”

But some residents say that the program lacks this point.

“The government should do so without relying on tourism … it’s general health,” said Activist Agnes Rodriguez. “If you are coming to Barcelona tonight, to Chicago or to New York, and you are residing in a tourist apartment where the family should live, you are part of this city change. You affect the lives of people who live there.”