A travel expert has revealed his view on the recent escalation of mass-tourism protests in Spain (Image: Getty)
Since April, many of Spain’s most-visited destinations by tourists have been affected by protests against over-tourism, specifically in the archipelagos of the Balearics and the Canaries and in the mainland in Barcelona and Malaga.
Following the lifting of restrictions on travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the numbers of visitors to Spanish destinations have boomed, bringing in huge benefits to the economy as tourism accounts for over 13 percent of its employment and over 11 percent of its GDP, according to CaizaBank Research.
However, local governments and residents believe that, rather than sustaining the locations, the over-tourism has contributed to a reduced quality of life and increased cost of living for residents.
As a result, protests against excess tourism have been occurring several times a month across the country.
However, one travel expert has revealed his concerns that an increased number of these protests have involved direct confrontations with the tourists themselves, despite many of the groups arguing that they are not against the tourists, but the tourism model that allows unsustainable growth.
In July, a protest in Barcelona saw some demonstrators spray tourists with water guns. (Image: Getty)
In July, a protest in Barcelona was held which was attended by about 3,000 people. Some of the protesters used tape to seal hotel exits and cordon-off restaurants in public squares.
Some even took to spraying tourists with water guns as they sat in restaurants. This move was later criticised by the Spanish tourism minister, who described the demonstrator’s actions as reprehensible, but claimed the incident was “exaggerated” by the international press.
Don Welsh, President and CEO of Destinations International said that his company has held the standpoint that they do not believe in boycotts or protests for nearly a decade. Instead, they believe in working with those marginalised in the affected communities and effecting change that way.
Speaking to Express.co.uk aboutn the Barcelona protests, Mr Welsh said: “The protests that have been taking place in Barcelona, where people were literally having a meal with their families, maybe enjoying an opportunity they’ve waited their whole life to go to, and they are being responsible tourists, and they [are then] attacked by water guns by groups of people… I think that’s sickening. I find that behaviour appalling.”
He continued: “Particularly knowing what Barcelona has done to the point where they have been working with city governments and they’ve relocated their convention and meeting complex out of the core, they really have been trying to control growth and create responsible tourism for their community”.
A former hotelier, Mr Welsh said that Barcelona has done a lot to create responsible tourism. (Image: Getty)
As a former hotelier, Mr Welsh added that he knows that when hotels get developed, they do so “in conjunction with the city”.
“They have zoning, they have insurance responsibilities, they have to adhere to what the hotel requirements are in that community”.
Mr Welsh also revealed that he is a big supporter of Airbnb, “as they do support the overall tourism economy”.
However, “until one can police, or somehow regulate, how these non-traditional combinations are managed, to me… that may be one of the core areas you’ve got to work through”.
Just last weekend, as part of simultaneous protests across the Canary Islands which saw thousands of people attend, hundreds of protesters stormed a beach in Tenerife, surrounding shocked sunseekers.
Residents diverted from the expected route to march across Troya Beach, a popular spot in the south of the island. Footage allegedly showed one couple lying trapped on their beach towel in their swimming costumes as protesters passed by on all sides waving banners which appeared to say “Jediondos” – Spanish slang for “foul-smelling”.
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Other holidaymakers were seen leaving the area as it became overwhelmed by irate locals.
Canary islander Veronica Quintero said of protest: “What they did was a d*****d thing to do. We have to fight for quality tourism but not against those who come here.
“We shouldn’t f*** the tourist who is on the beach because they have paid for an offer.”
Organisers of the protests said they expected more than 100,000 people to attend, with Ivan Cerdena Molina, a member of the local environmental organisation ATAN, revealing to Express.co.uk that they were “going to take loudspeakers, we are going to stop in the bars, [hotel] terraces and tell the people what are our problems”.
“We are going to say ‘you are swimming in s***’, you are making our housing prices higher and the industry behind you [is not helping the island].”
“I understand the need for protest, particularly civil protest… as long as it is done in a respectful, civil manner,” concluded Mr Welsh.
“I don’t think it’s fair that a protest spills over to people that are there, hopefully being responsible people, having lunch or dinner with their friends and family in a restaurant. That is where I think it has stepped over the boundaries.”
“It spills over into affecting people minding their own business, being respectful to being in an establishment. That is where I think it is not fair.”
Destinations International is “the world’s leading resource for destination organisations, convention and visitors’ bureaus (CVBs) and tourism boards”.