As Spain prepares for the Easter holiday surge, anti-tourism protests are once again sweeping across the country, reigniting tensions over mass tourism’s toll on everyday life.
Following a record-breaking year in which over 90 million international visitors arrived, frustration is mounting among locals who say recent government efforts fall far short. With consultancy firm Braintrust projecting that arrivals could hit 115 million annually by 2040, many fear that Spain’s most popular destinations are being pushed to their limits.
The early signs of unrest are already visible. On 5 April, tens of thousands marched in cities across Spain to protest soaring housing costs, overcrowding, and what many see as political inaction. Protesters are urging officials to introduce tighter regulations before the peak summer season overwhelms communities once again.
Last summer, anger over unchecked tourism spilled into the streets with hunger strikes, anti-tourism graffiti, and even tourists being sprayed with water guns. This time, the concerns remain largely the same—especially around housing access.
In Tenerife, protests last year erupted over plans to build two new hotels. Local residents reported being priced out of their homes and some were even forced to sleep in cars or caves. “We have nothing against individual tourists but the industry is growing and growing and using up so many resources and the island cannot cope,” said Ivan Cerdena Molina, who helped organise the protests, in an interview with The Olive Press. “Airbnb and Booking.com are like a cancer that is consuming the island bit by bit.”
In Barcelona and Madrid, residents continue to struggle with rising rental prices. While Barcelona’s city council has already frozen tourist rental licenses at 10,000 units since 2014 and plans to eliminate them entirely by 2028, tensions persist.
In its latest move to protect housing for locals, the Spanish government is proposing a 100 per cent tax on property purchases by non-EU residents. Currently, around 15 per cent of homes in Spain are bought by foreign buyers, including EU nationals, according to the Spanish property registry.
Despite these actions, public anger shows little sign of abating. In Madrid, city authorities counted 15,000 marchers on 5 April, though organisers claimed 150,000 participated. In Barcelona, the city hall reported 12,000 people, while protest leaders estimated attendance at over 100,000.
Marchers in Madrid chanted “Get Airbnb out of our neighborhoods” while holding signs condemning short-term rentals. In Barcelona, one sign read: “I am not leaving, vampire,” aimed at a real estate speculator believed to be trying to displace the protester from his home.
In Majorca, demonstrators rallied under the slogan “Let’s end the housing business,” decrying what they described as “the greed and avarice of hoteliers, politicians, real estate investors, and ‘parasites’ of all kinds” who they say are damaging ecosystems, straining public services, and fueling gentrification. In a letter issued ahead of the protest, activists urged tourists not to visit the island, calling them “the source of our problems.”
Meanwhile, in the Canary Islands, hospitality workers are threatening to strike over the Easter period due to a pay dispute. Spain’s main trade unions, CCOO and UGT, have proposed either a one-time payment or a 7.75 per cent wage hike for hotel, bar, and restaurant staff to help offset rising living costs.
The urgency is underscored by sobering statistics: 33.8 per cent of people in the Canary Islands are at risk of poverty or social exclusion—second only to Andalucía—according to Spain’s National Statistics Institute.
