Record numbers of tourists arrive in Spain after anti-tourism protests

On July 6, thousands of anti-tourism demonstrators marched through the streets of Barcelona, ​​chanting “Tourists go home!”

A little more than a month later, the Spanish Tourism Board sent out a flurry of emails with a different message. “Spain: A summer that I want to repeat every year…I can’t wait to see you!”

Tourists caught in the crossfire during the Barcelona protests in July, some of whom endured water cannons and clashes caught on tape, may not want to return. However, data shows that others did not run away in fear.

The number of international arrivals in Spain continued to rise this summer, with around 10.9 million people arriving in August, an increase of 7% year-on-year, according to Spain’s National Institute of Statistics.

And the top three most popular destinations were exactly where protesters marched this year.

Around 2.4 million international tourists visited the Balearic Islands, where Mallorca is located, in August, an increase of 4% compared to the same period in 2023, the data showed. A further 2.3 million foreigners went to Catalonia, where Barcelona is located, an increase of 6% from 2023. Approximately 1.6 million people went to Andalusia, an increase of 9% compared to the previous year.

According to travel news site Skift, a survey released by the Mallorca Tourism Board found that 89% of American travelers said they were either unaware of or uninterested in the protests that have taken place on the island this year.

Skift reported that of those who knew about the protests, nearly 70% said it had “no effect” on their intention to travel.

Most people who visit Spain are fellow Europeans. However, Booking.com, Europe’s largest online travel agency by market share, told CNBC Travel that it has not seen a significant change in bookings to Mallorca or Barcelona following the protests.

But Rategain, a software company that processes transactions and intent data for the global travel industry, said it had seen a “noticeable impact” on searches and bookings for Barcelona after the July 6 protests.

However, the effect was short-lived. “We observed a 23% decrease in hotel bookings and a 35% decrease in search activity within 7-10 days after the event,” a company representative told CNBC.

Within six weeks, “bookings were back up.”

Barcelona’s July 6 protests “are not the end of anything,” said Daniel Pardo Rybaková, a member of the Neighborhood Council for Tourism Degrowth, which organizes the protests.

Rather, it would force Barcelona authorities to cancel plans to expand the city’s airport, reduce the number of cruise terminals near the city, reduce the short-term rental market, and stop using tax dollars to promote tourism in the city.

Rybakova told CNBC Travel that the Barcelona City Council did not directly respond to the protests on July 6, but that it was subsequently published on September 2 in the 135-page Government Measures for Tourism Management 2024-2027. He announced new measures to combat overtourism, including: 17.

The measure outlined 55 actions to strike a better balance between tourists and residents.

But it’s all just “sham speech and social cleansing,” Rybakova says.

A spokesperson for Barcelona City Council told CNBC Travel that managing the city’s tourism is one of its main priorities, as “we are reaching our limit with 17 million tourists per year.”

“Tourism is strategic for the city’s economy, representing 14% of GDP,” the spokesperson said. “The measure of success for Barcelona tourism cannot be focused on the quantity of tourists, but rather on managing the flow of people so as not to exceed social and environmental limits.”

Visitor flow management is a strategy that is rapidly becoming popular as a way to reduce overtourism by using sensors and mobile phone monitoring tools to provide real-time crowd data.

He said this was not enough for Rybakova’s organization, which advocates for a reduction in tourist numbers.

Regarding the City Council’s recent decision to raise the night tourism surcharge by 4 euros (approximately $4.38), Rybakova said, “This is in no way a measure to reduce the number of tourists, but to raise more funds.” This is a measure.”

Despite claims that the summer influx of tourists humiliated protesters, Rybakova said they were enthusiastic.

“Public opinion among the people of Barcelona regarding tourism has changed significantly. The official narrative that “tourism is good for everyone” is no longer believable to anyone… it has changed to “tourism has gone too far.” ” he said.

Rybakova said more than 15,000 people marched on July 6, but local media reported the number at around 3,000.

He also said media coverage of overtourism is changing. “Not too long ago, we were being abused and directly ignored,” he said. But during and after the July march, the organization received both sympathy and solidarity from local and international journalists, he said.

“Both things prove that we are somehow winning the fight,” he said.

The Neighborhood Council for Tourism Degrowth says on its website that residents will be the biggest force in changing Barcelona’s mass tourism problem.

The report said more regions are mobilizing and are “working on joint dates, meetings of our organizations, and shared strategies for mass mobilization.”

As for whether more protests are being organized, Rybakova said: “Of course, yes.”

Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel told CNBC Travel on September 6 that protests are “not the most effective way” to combat overtourism and are “having the wrong effect.” “There is a possibility,” he said, expressing his opinion on the protests.

He said mitigating overtourism was “actually the government’s responsibility” but that solving it would require cooperation between governments, tourists, residents and travel companies.

“Everyone is benefitting economically from the influx of tourists,” Vogel said.