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Overtourism protests spread, from Barcelona to Mexico City

A crowd on Barcelona's La Rambla uses water guns and signs during overtourism protests, illustrating managed tourism debate.
by
6 min read

Residents in Barcelona and Mexico City have escalated anti-overtourism demonstrations over the past year, highlighting a growing rift between visitor economies and livability. Barcelona's water-gun actions on July 6, 2024, and Mexico City's vandalism-marred marches on July 4, 2025, drew global attention, as locals blamed short-term rentals and digital-nomad inflows for rising rents and crowding. Data from Spain show tourism demand remains resilient, raising questions about what truly curbs overtourism and what merely grabs headlines.

Key Points

  • Why it matters: Protests amplified housing and livability concerns, pressuring officials to act.
  • Travel impact: Expect more timed entries, fees, and tighter short-term rental rules at hotspots.
  • What's next: Barcelona plans to end tourist apartment licenses by 2028, while Mexico City eyes housing measures.
  • Demonstrations can deter some travelers temporarily, but arrivals often rebound quickly.
  • Experts say policy design and enforcement, not anti-tourist rhetoric, drive lasting change.

Snapshot

Street actions have morphed from symbolic to confrontational. Barcelona protesters used water guns and protest tape on July 6, 2024, while coordinated marches across southern Europe in June 2025 targeted visitor crowding and housing pressure. In Mexico City, a July 4, 2025, march through Roma and Condesa turned destructive when a small group smashed storefronts and harassed foreigners, prompting condemnation from national and city leaders. Despite the headlines, Spain logged 55.5 million international visitors from January through July 2025, up 4.1 percent year over year, and record spend. The disconnect suggests that without structural policies, public shaming campaigns seldom move the needle for long.

Background

Overtourism predates the pandemic, but its visibility surged once cities saw quieter streets during 2020 and 2021. Researchers note the problem is multidimensional, involving housing supply, public space, infrastructure, and regulating short-term rentals. In Europe, cities such as Amsterdam tightened retail zoning and lodging controls in recent years, while Venice trialed day-trip fees. Barcelona's city hall has mapped a path to phase out tourist apartments by 2028 after a decade of rent increases. In Mexico City, the pandemic-era promotion of digital-nomad stays collided with sluggish housing construction, fueling tensions in central districts popular with visitors. Experts from EHL Hospitality and the European Tourism Futures Institute argue that durable solutions come from destination management, not protest theatrics, and that local residents must be included early in policy design.

Latest Developments

Spain's summer protests meet record visitor numbers

Demonstrations across southern Europe in mid-June 2025, including Barcelona, Lisbon, Venice, and Palma, spotlighted housing and crowding. Yet Spain's official data show 11.0 million international visitors in July 2025 and 55.5 million through July, up 4.1 percent year over year, alongside record spend. Barcelona's mayor has pledged to phase out tourist apartments by 2028, while national authorities pursue illegal listing crackdowns. Analysts say quick-hit protests can nudge behavior at the margins, for example pushing some travelers toward hotels over short-term rentals, but lasting change hinges on enforceable rules such as caps, zoning, and ticketing systems. Water-gun imagery may grab attention, but policy, not props, determines outcomes.

Mexico City's July 4 march escalates tensions

A protest against gentrification and mass tourism in Mexico City on July 4, 2025, began peacefully, then a subset of masked demonstrators vandalized businesses and harassed foreigners in Roma and Condesa. Leaders condemned xenophobic rhetoric while acknowledging housing pressures. Reporting and local analysis tie tensions to rapid growth in short-term rentals, the draw of remote work, and limited new housing supply. Experts warn that confrontations with visitors rarely solve root causes. Instead, cities tend to move toward targeted actions, for example higher tourist taxes earmarked for housing, licensing and caps for short-term rentals, and better coordination across agencies so residents know where to take grievances before they spill into the streets.

Analysis

Do protests "work"? They are effective at agenda-setting, less so at reshaping demand. Spain's 2025 data underscore the paradox: even after headline-grabbing actions, arrivals and spend hit records. That does not mean protests are futile. Public pressure can accelerate policy adoption, as seen with Barcelona's plan to phase out tourist apartments by 2028 and broader enforcement against illegal listings. In practice, destinations that bend the curve on crowding tend to combine several levers. First, align lodging supply with resident needs by limiting or pricing short-term rentals and channeling tourism taxes into housing. Second, meter demand at pinch points with timed entries and visitor caps, particularly at Old Towns, scenic corridors, and popular viewpoints. Third, rebalance marketing toward shoulder seasons and secondary neighborhoods, backed by mobility fixes that spread flows. Finally, bring residents into the process early, with clear accountability across tourism, housing, and transport agencies.

For travelers, the implications are pragmatic rather than punitive. Expect more reservations, tickets, and time slots, fewer "drop-in" experiences, and rules around behavior in historic centers. Choosing licensed hotels or professionally managed apartments, visiting outside peak hours, and staying longer in fewer places can lower friction with communities. The lesson from both Barcelona and Mexico City is consistent: symbolic confrontations fade, but managed tourism, housing policy, and enforcement change daily life.

Final Thoughts

Overtourism protests are a symptom of deeper governance gaps. Barcelona's marchers and Mexico City's residents are both pushing cities to align visitor policy with housing, transit, and public space realities. For destinations, the durable path is managed tourism, combining lodging rules, demand metering, and community input. For travelers, flexibility and respect go a long way, from booking timed entries to favoring licensed stays and shoulder seasons. The news cycle rewards spectacle, but the solutions are technical, local, and long term. That is how cities de-escalate tensions and preserve what visitors come to see, without fueling more overtourism protests.

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