Anti-tourism protests are escalating at Irish holiday hotspots in Spain - here's why

ANY OF THE many, many keen Irish followers of UK tabloids may have seen scandalised headlines over the last week or so.

“UK tourists in Lanzarote and Tenerife ‘forced to flee’ and ordered to ‘go home” is a fairly typical flavour.

As was one which followed just a few days later: ‘UK tourists ‘begged’ not to cancel holidays after protests in Spain’.

The articles were prompted by mass demonstrations on the Canary Islands, which saw thousands of locals march through some of its most popular tourist hotspots.

But what’s this all about?

What’s going on with the protests and – given that these UK tourist hotspots are also Irish tourist hotspots – should Irish tourists be worried?

What’s happening?

The demonstrations in the Canaries were part of a movement against overtourism which has swept Europe this summer, but been particularly strong in Spain.

Areas which have seen the highest levels of demonstration include Malaga, where thousands of people have marched in the streets, the Canaries, where popular beaches are now the sites of protests, and Barcelona, where demonstrators made international headlines after squirting tourists with water guns.

Thousands of protestors have also turned out in the likes of Mallorca and Ibiza.

Coincidentally, these are also hotspots for Irish tourists. The exact ranking of which Spanish destination is most popular varies depending on who is reporting the numbers (see examples here, here and here), but all are exceptionally popular with Irish holidayers.

The demonstrations started around this April and show no signs of abating.

Why are there protests?

A primary motivator in the demonstrations is one that will be plenty familiar to Irish people – surging house prices.

Across Spain, house prices went up by 4% last year, while rents rose by about 9%.

However, the increases tended to be much sharper in the tourism hotspots. For example, house prices jumped by 13% in Malaga, while rents soared by 14% in Barcelona.

The underlying issue is the same as in Ireland – too few homes, not enough new ones being built. But activists say over tourism has significantly exacerbated the issue, such as when investors snap up homes to then let out on platforms like Airbnb.

A protest in Gran Canaria on 20 October 2024 Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

But housing isn’t the only complaint – locals say tourists often end up using other limited resources, such as water.

Earlier this month locals in Lanzarote – fed up with water cuts which do not affect hotels – entered a beach-front hotel and began washing their dish cloths in the pool.

Other complaints include tourists damaging the local environment, pressured public services and concerns over a loss of culture as local businesses increasingly cater to foreigners.

What do they want?

As the protests have been spread across Spain, they often have different specific requests and demands.

Most demonstrators have said they do not want all tourists to leave, as they recognise their importance to Spain’s economy.

The sector accounts for about 13% of the country’s GDP and employs thousands of locals, albeit mostly in lower-paid roles, another point of contention.

The most common requests are some kind of limitation on arriving visitors, such as a cap on cruise ships, and measures to address accommodation shortages, such as banning short term lets in certain areas.

There have also been calls for other more subtle methods of discouraging tourists, such as by implementing ‘tourists taxes’ which would make certain areas more expensive to visit.

What has happened so far? 

The demonstrators have had some impact at a political level.

‘Tourists taxes’ of up to €4 per person per day have been introduced in the likes of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, where Barcelona and Mallorca are located.

Mallorca has placed restrictions on cruise ships, while Barcelona has pledged an outright ban on all Airbnb licences by November 2028.

But despite all of this, there has been zero progress in one of the key aims of the protests – reducing the number of tourists.

Spain recorded a record number of international tourists this summer. Almost 11 million international visitors in July and August alone, a 7.3% increase from the same months in 2023. The summer of 2025 is expected to continue the trend of rising numbers. As long as this goes on, and without big changes elsewhere, it’s unlikely the protestors’ goals will be met.

Finally – should Irish tourists be concerned?

The demonstrations in Spain have all been peaceful.

The fact that the most dramatic measure so far – spraying tourists in Barcelona with water guns – made international headlines is a sign that the security situation is not exactly out of hand.

The continued rise in trips to Spain indicates most visitors are unconcerned. This was backed up by a recent survey published by Mallorca’s tourism board, which found that US travellers tended not to even know about the protests. In cases where they did know, they were largely unconcerned.

But Irish tourists who do decide to go to their favourite Spanish hotspot in the coming months would be well advised to stay respectful of locals, treat their environment with care, and generally behave as good house guests.