Mass anti-tourism demonstrations are set to take place across Europe on Sunday, 15 June 2025 in what Travel and Tour World (TTW) has called “a co-ordinated uprising” that could be a “turning point” for tourism in the region.
In traditionally popular destinations across the Balearic Islands, mainland Spain, Portugal, and Italy, organisers from 60 groups are uniting as the Southern Europe Network Against Touristification, to encourage protesters to “disrupt the tourist normality.” Campaigners in the north of the region, in the Netherlands and even the UK, are also reported to be taking part.
Water pistols against tourism
Daniel Pardo Rivacoba, member of the Assembly of Neighborhoods for Tourism Degrowth, told a press conference in Barcelona on 4 June that water pistols would be deployed as a “popular symbol of resistance against the plundering of the tourism monoculture.” The Barcelona protest is due to start at midday on 15 June at Jardinets de Gràcia, an almost century-old tree-lined boulevard filled with fountains and statues.
While Pardo argued against “touristification” or “the prioritisation of tourism above all else,” Anna Mundet, from Ecologists in Action, focused on the environmental consequences of tourism, citing UN figures showing that tourism accounts for 9% of global emissions. She demanded that authorities act to “immediately and fearlessly reduce the most destructive economic activities for the biosphere.”
Spain received a record number of visitors in 2024 and has been an epicentre of local discontent about resource allocation, crowding, the cost of living, and housing shortages claimed to be caused by proliferating short-term rentals. In addition to the demonstrations in Barcelona, gatherings are expected across the rest of the Spanish territory, from Ibiza, Menorca, and Palma de Mallorca, to Tenerife and Lanzarote, as well as Granada, the Pyrenees, Santander, Bilbao and San Sebastián.
🇪🇸 BARCELONA LOCALS FIGHT TOURISM…WITH WATER GUNS
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) April 29, 2025
Fed up with tourists flooding their streets, Barcelona activists pulled out water pistols and blasted a tour bus outside the Sagrada Familia, yelling “Tourists go home!”
They’re demanding “de-touristification” of the city,… https://t.co/4rg61e5d90 pic.twitter.com/K78hjXPy4M
“It’s not about hating tourists – it’s about saving our communities.”
Heading east, protests are planned in Greece and Venice, and even as far north as the Netherlands, where Amsterdam has battled overtourism with campaigns to keep certain types of visitors away. Portuguese activists have also promised to join the fray in Lisbon.
An anonymous source from Lisbon echoed the Ecologists in Action, telling EU Today : “The goal is not to attack individuals but to draw attention to the social and environmental toll tourism is taking on our cities,” claiming: “We are being squeezed out of our homes, our public spaces, and our daily lives.” Another emphasised: “It’s not about hating tourists – it’s about saving our communities.”
Protests in the Canary Islands against overtourism, where the influx of over 1 million tourists monthly-half the local population of 2.2 million—has led to severe strain on infrastructure,
— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) May 18, 2025
What is the answer
pic.twitter.com/Pey4SQA5b3
Travellers are being advised by authorities far and wide to be aware of the potential disruption, to check for travel updates and delays, and to avoid tourist hotspots on 15 June. However, Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs warned citizens that “Public gatherings and demonstrations can at times take place with little or no warning” and to be “prepared to adjust travel plans at short notice.”
“We recommend that you stay clear of demonstrations and follow the advice of the local authorities,” a spokesperson said, adding “Protests may cause disruption to transport and other services.”
