Besalu

Every year, when the tourist season starts, there are news like this because it is true that many areas of Spain are stressed in the accommodation. The problem is not the tourists. The problem is the lack of decent and affordable housing for the people of the country. For this reason it is important, for example, not to stay in Airbnb that in Spain are poorly regulated. And if possible, choose hotels (small, large, urban, rural, family-run, whatever) that do not take places away from the normal housing market, that pay taxes and that also provide jobs for more people.

Maribel

Well said, Besalu.

Christina

The problem is the tourists, to some extent. This is true in various European cities, where you have seen backlash against overtourism in the last ten years or so (except for COVID years). The main issue is overinflux of passengers from cruise ships (see Venice, but it also is a problem in Barcelona and Malaga), AND vacation rental apts like Airbnb, etc. So it's not just recently, but has been increasing for years, there have been articles on this going back to maybe 2014-16 when you started seeing a lot of problems? Of course it affects the most popular areas, which are Malaga and Barcelona and the Canaries (and Mallorca). So yes, the problem is tourists when rental owners take their apts off the market to rent to tourists AND when the streets are so crowded it is not pleasant to live in your own city any more. It is the tourists and businesses who do that. But some places are so crowded, it's an issue aside from the housing issue (which riles up people themost, I guess, it isn't just availability but cost, some workers can't afford to live there any more). They have rules at Parc Guell due to overcrowding and that has nothing to do with housing. I think the city got a bus line to Parc Guell erased from Google maps, also, so it wouldn't just be full of tourists and locals could use it easily.

Ideally, city govts would restrict passengers on cruise ships and rental apts for tourists should have some restrictions. I think the leftie mayor of Barcelona has started some of that, apt restrictions. And of course Parc Guell has restrictions and fees now, for one example (I remember many years ago when you just went there when you wanted). Of course there are problems in other cities, like AMsterdam, Paris, Venice, etc.

If you want some articles because you are skeptical this is a problem, here are a few, but as I said, this isn't something that has just happened in the alst 6 months. I like the one sign I read (In Barcelona) saying "why do they call it tourist season if you can't shoot them".

https://www.politico.eu/article/ada-...r-on-tourists/

https://english.elpais.com/elpais/20...46_101095.html

https://english.elpais.com/elpais/20...82_468230.html

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel...-a7882481.html

https://www.thelocal.es/20190124/too...id-travel-fair

https://www.thelocal.es/20190823/opi...-and-mcdonalds

https://theworld.org/stories/2023/08...aking-tourists

https://www.france24.com/en/live-new...klash-in-spain

https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-n...sts-last-year/

https://www.timeout.com/news/a-barce...tourism-041824

I really like Barcelona and have been there several times, but glad I visited before it's gotten so crowded, frankly.

just_tina

This article explains the protests in the Canaries:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...inable-tourism

ekscrunchy

I'll be in the Canarias next month!

But on Lanzarote.

Maribel

Just follow the news here
https://www.canarianweekly.com

and here
https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-n...anary-islands/

joannyc

Just saw this article…

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/...canary-islands