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Date Published: 12/06/2024

Nearly half of Spaniards think the government should limit tourists

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Almost half of people surveyed believe limits should be placed on the number of tourists in Spain

Nearly half of Spaniards think the government should limit tourists

Nearly half of Spaniards, 45%, believe the government should set limits on the number of tourists in cities, and 70% think stricter controls are needed for tourist activities in protected areas like natural parks, according to a recent survey by Evaneos.

In regions hit hardest by over-tourism, including Andalucía and Catalonia, this sentiment is even stronger. Here, 50% of residents feel their local councils should stop building new tourist accommodations in already crowded areas.

For many residents of Spanish holiday hotspots, there are just too many tourist flats in town centres, displacing locals. Four out of ten people living in these areas share this view.

Additionally, half of Spaniards support the idea of tourists paying higher taxes to offset the negative impacts of their visits.

EXPLAINER: What is the tourist tax, how much is it and where in Spain do you have to pay it?

Despite the downsides of overtourism, many respondents still see tourists positively. They believe most visitors aim to fit in with the local community, with 67% saying coexistence is generally good. They also recognise the benefits of more sustainable tourism, which they see as both culturally and economically enriching (74%).

Indeed, this chimes with recent findings by the Bank of Spain that, without foreign tourism, the country’s GDP would have fallen by 0.2% in the first quarter of this year.

However, the Evaneos survey also shows that 80% of Spaniards think it’s time to rethink the tourism model, and 60.2% are already aware of alternatives to mass tourism, such as sustainable or regenerative tourism.

Viola Migliori, head of Southern Europe for Evaneos, said that living alongside tourists is still good, and it wouldn’t be true to say there is “tourism-phobia”, but there is a need to change the tourist model to preserve local customs and protect the environment.

According to Evaneos, over-tourism negatively impacts both host communities and the experiences of travellers. A significant 82% of Spaniards admit they’ve encountered overcrowded holiday spots, with 84% facing large crowds and 79.9% enduring long queues at monuments or museums. Additionally, seven out of ten found food offerings to be either too expensive or of poor quality.

As a result, 90% of Spaniards have noticed the increase in tourists at holiday destinations and are looking for alternatives. They say they’re considering changing travel dates to avoid peak seasons or visiting less crowded places for longer stays.

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