antitourist

Brit tourists should not be used as a ‘punching bag’ for the worsening housing crisis impacting Spain, hotel bosses have warned in a major clap-back at protesting locals

Hotel bosses on a tourist-engulf Spanish island have jumped to the defence of Brits following a string of confrontational protests. Last year, a staggering 15.3 million international visitors flocked to the Balearics – a beautiful archipelago made up of Majorca, Ibiza and Menorca. The influx resulted in fed-up locals storming the streets en masse – waving banners demanding holidaymakers ‘go home’.

Arguing the rising demand of holiday rentals is pricing them out of the property market – and worsening the country’s housing crisis – residents even took to squirting Brits with water pistols to get their message across.

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The latest protest, which took place just last month, comes as activists vowed to unleash ‘misery’ for Brits during the busy summer period. However, it seems the Mallorca Hotel Business Federation (FEHM) is pushing back on the island’s anti-tourist landscape by launching a new campaign.

The initiative, which aims to thank millions of tourists for visiting the island and raise awareness of the ‘importance of tourism’ to the economy, has seen around twenty billboards distributed throughout Mallorca, using positive and welcoming messages in English and German.

According to local news site Majorca Daily Bulletin, Javier Vich, the president of the federation, said: “We cannot allow a radical minority to damage the work carried out over many years by so many people who have made tourism their way of life… Tourism cannot be the punching bag for all the structural problems of this community.”

Javier added that every month during the high season, a staggering 235,000 salaries are paid in sectors linked to tourism. This includes workers in the transport, catering, culture, leisure and hospitality sectors.

The hotel boss went on to argue that Spain risks suffering a slowdown in bookings during the summer season, and more and more Brits flock to rival destinations like Greece and Turkey – which ‘welcome tourists with a red carpet’. Even Morocco – which has long struggled to attract high levels of tourism, has seen its visitor numbers surge in recent months.

“We must also be aware of their value,” Javier warned. “Mallorca has been, is and must continue to be a hospitable land…” While the campaign may be well received by self-serving hotel bosses, that cash in on tourism, it’s safe to say the news won’t go down well with locals demanding change.

And still – despite the alarming number of protests and graffiti that have been smeared across Spain – British expat Sandra Laurie, who has lived in Spain for nine years, says Brits should continue visiting Spain. “Local businesses, restaurants, and shops have built their success on welcoming tourists from all over the world,” she exclusively told the Mirror earlier this year.

“If you have a trip planned—don’t let the headlines deter you. The Costa del Sol and other popular destinations are buzzing with life. The beaches are packed, the pueblos are alive with energy, and both locals and tourists are soaking up the sun, relaxing, and making the most of everything Spain has to offer.” Of course, Sandra says being a ‘respectful’ visitor is key to being welcomed to the sunny country.

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Tensions boiled over this past Friday as throngs of mostly peaceful protesters, brandishing placards with messages like “Gringo: Stop stealing our home” and demanding immediate housing regulation, took to tourist hotspots throughout the city

A fierce backlash against gentrification and a surge in mass tourism has unfolded on the streets of Mexico City.

Tensions boiled over this past Friday as throngs of mostly peaceful protesters, brandishing placards with messages like “Gringo: Stop stealing our home” and demanding immediate housing regulation, took to tourist hotspots throughout the city.

The protest took a darker turn as the day went on, with a handful violently lashing out, shattering shop windows and plundering several establishments. At one point, one person was seen aggressively jabbing a butter knife at a restaurant window where punters were sheltering, while another emblazoned “kill a gringo” on a wall in the vicinity.

Years of mass tourism and skyrocketing rent prices have left residents of a bustling city frustrated. The tide of foreigners began to swell in 2020, as Americans sought refuge in Mexico City to work remotely, escape coronavirus restrictions, and enjoy lower living costs.

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Desirable areas like Roma and Condesa, known for their lush central locales brimming with cafes and markets, have seen an uptick in foreign tourists and ‘digital nomads’ since then. The number of Airbnbs in the city has rocketed.

Residents are feeling the squeeze, claiming they’ve been ousted from their own communities. This sentiment is partly attributed to a controversial call made by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum back in 2022 when she signed a deal with Airbnb and UNESCO to promote tourism and court remote workers, fully aware of the potential repercussions on local housing.

“The xenophobic displays seen at that protest have to be condemned. No one should be able to say ‘any nationality get out of our country’ even over a legitimate problem like gentrification,” the President said following the protests.

The influx of holidaymakers has driven up rents and living costs, making English an increasingly heard language on the streets of these neighbourhoods. Some critics have labelled this trend as a form of “neo-colonialism.”

The Mexico City Anti-Gentrification Front, one of the groups organising protests, has said it is “completely against” any acts of physical violence and refuted claims that their protests are xenophobic. Instead, they argue that the demonstrations stem from the local government’s longstanding failure to tackle the underlying issues.

“Gentrification isn’t just foreigners’ fault, it’s the fault of the government and these companies that prioritize the money foreigners bring,” the group declared. They highlighted the struggle of “young people and the working class can’t afford to live here.”

The organisation has issued a list of demands, calling for increased rent controls, insisting that locals should have a say in larger development projects in their area, stricter laws making it more difficult for landlords to evict tenants and prioritising Mexican renters over foreigners.

Mexico’s protest follows a series of similar demonstrations across Europe against mass tourism.

At the moment over 26,000 properties in Mexico City are listed on Airbnb, as reported by Inside Airbnb, an advocacy group monitoring the company’s impact on residential communities through data. This compares to 36,000 properties in New York City and 19,000 in Barcelona, where protests have also erupted.

Airbnb claimed to have contributed over a billion dollars to Mexico City’s “economic impact” last year, supporting 46,000 jobs in the city. “What’s needed is regulation based not on prohibitions, but on respect for rights and transparency of obligations,” the company said in a statement.

Demonstrators are getting ready to flock to the streets en masse, calling for huge reform to the Canary Island’s tourism model. Here’s exactly where the protestors will occur

Thousands of fed-up locals across the Canary Islands will take to the streets this weekend – demanding drastic change to the ‘unsustainable’ tourism model. It follows the record-breaking number of visitors that flocked to the archipelago last year, and the subsequent string of demonstrations.

After blaming holidaymakers for worsening Spain’s housing crisis, activists, and members of the Canarian diaspora abroad will gather en masse on Sunday, May 18 to call for new legislation that puts an end to ‘exploitative economic models’ on the island. This includes putting a halt to ‘destructive’ projects such as high-profile hotels, and freezing new tourist developments.

Protestors also want a green energy transition, and an eco-tax for tourists. The latter has already been mulled over in hotspots such as Tenerife’s Teide National Park – which is slated to implement an entrance fee in 2026.

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Other demands include ‘cultural and social heritage protection’, clamping down on marine pollution, and rejecting macro-infrastructure projects. “If they don’t listen in the streets, they’ll hear us in everyday life,” one protest organiser told local news.

According to Canarian Weekly, protests will take place in 15 areas across the Canary Islands, and demonstrators have vowed they ‘won’t stop’ until they’ve achieved the change of model the Canary Islands urgently need’. If you’re heading over to the hotspot this week, you may want to avoid the following areas.

Canary Island’s anti-tourist protests – where to avoid

• Tenerife – Plaza Weyler, Santa Cruz, 11:00am
• Gran Canaria – Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, Las Palmas, 11:00 am
• Lanzarote – Quiosco de la Música, Arrecife, 11:00am
• Fuerteventura – Plaza de la Iglesia, Puerto del Rosario, 11:00am
• El Hierro – Consejería de Turismo, Valverde, 11:00am
• La Palma – Plaza de La Alameda, Santa Cruz de La Palma, 11:00am
• La Gomera – Plaza de Las Américas, San Sebastián, 11:00am

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The upcoming protests are hardly a surprise, as anti-tourist sentiment has been escalating across Spain for some time – and has even taken a violent turn. Back in March, a shocking sign threatening to ‘Kill A Tourist’ was spotted in Tenerife, while reports also emerged that anonymous activists had torched rental cars on the island to send a clear message to holidaymakers.

Last month, Spain passed a law in a desperate attempt to appease frustrated residents. Following an update to the Horizontal Property Act, those wanting to cash in on the influx of Brits by renting out their house to holidaymakers will now need to gain a 60 per cent majority vote from neighbouring property owners.

The brutal new rule means homeowners putting their apartments on sites like Airbnb or Booking.com without the ‘necessary support’ will be asked to cease operations. They may be threatened with legal action if they ignore the warning.

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