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Protests against overtourism: activists demand radical changes!
Protests against mass tourism and overtourism will spread across Europe in 2025. Activists are calling for radical changes in tourism.
Protests against overtourism: activists demand radical changes!
Tourism in Europe is facing a massive challenge: overtourism is increasingly becoming an urgent problem. This was particularly noticeable last year, when tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Naples against the negative consequences of mass tourism. Protests and activities against excessive tourism are already planned for 2025. Activists are vehemently demanding that tourism fundamentally change and no longer be viewed as a purely positive instrument of international understanding AHGZ reported.
The effects of mass tourism are particularly noticeable in southern Europe, where the number of visitors has risen sharply in recent years. In 2023, over 85 million international tourists visited Spain, increasing the burden on the local population. In the first half of 2024, 42.5 million tourists were counted in Spain. This massive increase is leading to protests in regions like Tenerife, as rents are skyrocketing while at the same time polluting the environment ZDF reported.
Local measures against overtourism
To counteract the negative consequences, measures have been taken in several European cities. In Barcelona it was decided to eliminate all holiday apartments by 2029 in order to create housing for locals. Venice has been charging a daily fee of 5 euros for visitors since April 2024, which has already led to revenue of 2.2 million euros. Greek authorities are using innovative technologies, such as drones and a reporting app, to combat illegal beach privatizations. The Greek government is also investing 2 billion euros in climate protection and sustainable tourism.
Other European destinations are also implementing restrictions to make tourism more sustainable. Dubrovnik in Croatia has limited the number of cruise ships docking and banned holiday apartments in apartment buildings. Copenhagen promotes initiatives such as “GreenKayak” and “CopenPay” that reward environmentally friendly behavior and thus support sustainable tourism.
The pressure on the tourism industry is noticeable and is being further increased by numerous initiatives and protests. The question is whether tourism can make the necessary adjustments to continue to play a positive role for society in the future. The coming months could be crucial for the development of tourism in Europe and society's perception of mass tourism.