Published on
November 18, 2025
When holidaymaker strolled through the historic lanes of Barcelona this autumn, she noticed fewer protest placards and fewer tense stares from locals than during the summer. For many European hosts, the hot summer of anti‑tourism sentiment appears to be cooling, even as governments scramble to introduce new limits and regulations on visitor flows.
Backlash recedes—but only partly
Across southern Europe, 2025 has been marked by increasingly visible local frustration at mass tourism. Cities such as Barcelona in Spain, Venice in Italy and Lisbon in Portugal witnessed coordinated protest actions including water‑gun tactics and graffiti against international visitors. Those street actions were a symptom of deeper concerns: rising housing costs, overloaded infrastructure and environmental strain in well‑visited locations.
Yet as the high summer months passed, analysts and media outlets suggest the intensity of the backlash has moderated. According to travel‑industry reports, while tourism volumes remain high, the public anger appears to have tempered somewhat.
| Destination | Country | What’s happening |
|---|---|---|
| Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain) | Spain | Large protests in spring/summer 2025: locals used water‑guns on tourists, pasted messages like “Tourists go home”. Authorities are phasing out short‑term tourist rentals by 2028, increasing tourist tax on short‑duration visits and restricting new hotel/hostel licences. |
| Palma de Mallorca (Majorca, Balearic Islands) | Spain | Protests over overtourism with thousands gathering; the government limiting new accommodation licences, fines for antisocial tourist behaviour, and examining how to control rental market. |
| Ibiza (Balearic Islands) | Spain | Raised local concerns about party tourism, noise, housing costs. Part of broader Balearics effort to curb “selfie‑tourism” and influencer‑driven influxes. |
| Venice (Veneto, Italy) | Italy | Implementing visitor controls: tourist entry fees for day‑trippers, limits on new tourist beds/hotels, protests against new large hotel builds. |
| Lisbon (Portugal) | Portugal | Included in coordinated June 2025 protests against overtourism alongside Spain and Italy; concerns include housing markets, daily crowding and infrastructure strain. |
| Granada (Andalusia, Spain) | Spain | One of the smaller cities where anti‑tourism actions have appeared (e.g., protests) as part of a broad regional pushback to mass tourism. |
Governments shifting gear on policy
Behind the scenes, authorities have responded. In Spain, the national tourism body Turespaña oversees promotional strategy and monitors tourism’s impact. Local governments are now introducing more concrete rules: for example Barcelona is on track to phase‑out short‑term tourist lets by 2028, citing a 68 per cent rise in rents over ten years. In the Balearic Islands region authorities have taken steps to restrict influencer‑led tourist promotion and curb “selfie tourism” that overwhelmed sensitive natural spots.
Across the EU, national and regional lawmakers are studying or drafting visitor‑caps, stricter licensing of accommodations, increased tourist taxes and finer‑grained data‑tracking of tourist flows. These policy actions reflect a shift away from purely growth‑driven tourism toward more sustainable, resident‑sensitive models.
Why the cooling mood?
Several factors may be contributing to the reduced intensity of protests. First, many citizens and local governments recognise the economic importance of tourism: despite the frustrations, it remains a major employer and revenue‑earner. Second, the visible arrival of regulatory responses has given some local communities hope that the worst excesses may be contained. Third, media‑coverage of overtourism and its solutions has matured, offering less shock value than earlier protests.
Risks remain ahead
Even though the backlash appears to be easing, the sector is not out of trouble. Tourism numbers remain record‑high in many destinations and the social, environmental and housing stresses have not vanished. As one tourism commentator noted: the volume of visitors is still causing friction. Also, policy measures are in many cases still in the planning or early‑implementation phase, meaning the effects are yet to be felt fully.
If regulation stalls or becomes toothless, local resentment may reignite. For destinations that depend heavily on tourism, any shift toward restraining visitor numbers must be managed carefully to avoid economic shocks.
What this means for travellers and hosts
For visitors, the message is dual: many European destinations remain welcoming and vibrant—but being a “responsible tourist” matters more than ever. Respect for local norms, accommodation rules and behaviour in crowded neighbourhoods will make a difference. For local communities and tourism planners, the shift signals a recognition that unlimited growth is no longer the default path: sustainable models are increasingly the focus.
In the final analysis, the tale of Europe’s tourism backlash is not one of protest extinguished but one of a new chapter begun—a phase where policymakers and residents alike are putting pressure on the growth engine of travel and insisting that the welcome mat remains respectful, manageable and mindful. And for those who come to explore, the hope is that destinations will regenerate, not just accommodate—and that human‑to‑human encounters, rather than mass flows, will define the next era of travel.
