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TOURISM

Spain’s tourism earnings seen hitting new record despite growing anger

Spain's tourism sector is expected to post record revenues again in 2024, the Exceltur tourism association said Tuesday, adding it was concerned at locals' growing animosity against the country's mass tourism model.

Published: 16 April 2024 17:06 CEST
Spain's tourism earnings seen hitting new record despite growing anger
Tourists near Barcelona's Sagrada Familia. (Photo by PAU BARRENA / AFP)

It predicted tourism earnings will reach €202.65 billion ($215.4 billion) this year, an 8.6 percent increase over the record set in 2023 which had already seen “a spectacular rate of growth,” Exceltur vice president José Luis Zoreda told a news conference.

If confirmed, it will be the first time that tourism earnings in Spain – the world’s second most visited country after France – will surpass €200 billion, he added.

Spain is benefiting from the rebound in global travel, especially from the Asian market, following the end of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile security concerns in rival sunshine markets in the eastern Mediterranean due to the Israel-Hamas war were helping to drive up visitors to the country, Exceltur said.

The tourism sector is also getting a boost from the increase in air links as well as the arrival of new rail operators which has boosted competition and driven down the price of high-speed rail travel leading to higher domestic tourism, it added.

READ ALSO: All the new direct flights to and from Spain in 2024

Spain welcomed a record 85.1 million foreign visitors last year, mainly from Britain, France and Germany, according to national statistics institute INE.

The surge in visitor numbers has sparked a backlash from locals in tourism hotpots such as the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands and Málaga.

READ MORE: Why does hatred of tourists in Spain appear to be on the rise?

“Our concern is to continue to grow tourism in Spain so that it is sustainable and does not generate social revulsion,” Zoreda said when asked about the growth of these anti-tourism movements.

Exceltur groups Spain’s hotels, resorts, transport companies, car rentals and entertainment businesses.

READ ALSO: Why Spain is a cheap mass tourism destination

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TOURISM

Girona calls for ‘expat census’ as anti-mass tourism sentiment in Spain grows 

The Catalan city of Girona has seen acts of vandalism against cycling businesses and a new neighbourhood association set up to protest against mass tourism and expat “gentrification”, as locals in another city in Spain says it’s “reached its limit”.

Published: 20 May 2024 10:56 CEST
Girona calls for 'expat census' as anti-mass tourism sentiment in Spain grows 

Residents of the beautiful northeastern city of Girona, ‘discovered’ internationally after it appeared in hit TV series Game of Thrones, appear to have had enough of their tourism-driven economic model. 

Neighbours have set up the “Girona Tourism Decrease Platform” (Plataforma Decreixement Turístic Girona) to put pressure on the local government so that it addresses the issues of “overdevelopment” and “gentrification,” and it “abandons the ‘anything goes’ approach to tourism”.

In its manifesto, the group explains how “for years Girona has become a postcard city for tourism, fairs and festivals”, which has been “a death sentence for its neighbourhoods and those who live in them,” while only benefitting “the business of a few people”.

They also denounce the mass arrival of wealthy “expats”, who have allegedly turned parts of the city into “totally elitist ghetto areas with their backs to people’s basic needs.”

This has contributed to “inflation, job insecurity, difficulty in accessing housing, water restrictions and closure of small businesses”, they claim, along with the destruction of local culture and less usage of the Catalan language.

“As a territory, we are at the limit. As citizens, we cannot take it anymore ,” they conclude.

As a result, they propose starting a census of “expats” living in the city. Cities and towns in Spain already have a registration system for all residents called the padrón, so it is unclear which foreigners could be added to this census, although it most likely refers to non-residents as well as residents.

Other measures suggested include locating illegal tourism accommodation in the city, limiting the number of hotel beds, increasing taxes for tourism businesses and in particular dealing with the issue of cycling tourism in Girona. 

According to disgruntled locals, the city has become a “cycling mecca” for professionals and aficionados in recent years, something encouraged by local authorities. 

READ ALSO: Where in Spain do locals ‘hate’ tourists?

From shops selling and renting bikes, to repair stores, travel agencies focusing on bicycle tourism and even specialised bars, the old quarter of Girona is dominated by bikes and cycling-related businesses. 

“Go home” and “enough with mass mass tourism” have been graffitied the façades of seven of these 30+ cycling businesses in Girona in recent days. 

Simmering resentment towards the negative consequences of mass tourism, in particular with regard to the proliferation of holiday lets and their impact on rising rents, has been on the up this year in Spain.

The Canary Islands held mass protests against their tourism model in April, and locals in Málaga, Mallorca and Ibiza have planned demonstrations for similar reasons in May and June.

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