Overtourism In Europe: Now Spain Knots With Portugal And Italy In The Airbnb Vs Hotels Debate: Here’s What You Need To Know

Thursday, July 17, 2025

Europe’s good visited municipality destinations are much and much overwhelmed by overtourism successful Europe, pinch locals reacting successful fury. Places for illustration Barcelona, Genoa and Lisbon are hotbeds of nan conflict and those successful their grip are turning to creative, vocal protests.

In Barcelona, locals deed world headlines past summertime arsenic they attacked visitors pinch h2o pistols — a play aimed astatine crying retired symbolically of nan “attack” that they felt tourism had inflicted arsenic it drove them retired pinch overcrowding. Residents of Genoa staged a symbolic “noisy protest,” hauling suitcases done nan metropolis to protestation nan inconvenience of throngs of tourists. Lisbon’s activists expressed their anger, parading a handcuffed effigy of their patron saint successful a protestation against a luxury edifice task which locals support will person a antagonistic effect connected nan neighbourhood.

Behind these protests, nan facts correspond a grim reality. Annual visitant overnight stays successful Barcelona soared from astir 4.5 cardinal successful 2004 to astir 15.5 cardinal successful 2024. The influx of maturation besides further weighs connected section resources and tensions betwixt visitors and those who unrecorded here.

Airbnb’s Perspective connected Overtourism successful Europe

The bosom of nan overtourism statement successful Europe has go Airbnb vs Hotels Debate nan world short-term rental giant. In June 2024 Airbnb produced its study “Overtourism successful nan EU,” successful which it blamed overmuch of nan overtourism problem connected hotels. Airbnb’s positionThe complainant submits that hotels are nan main shape of accommodation successful Europe, pinch 78 % of overnight visitant stays, while STRs correspond only an insignificant share.

Airbnb argues that STRs thief dispersed visitors astir cities alternatively of concentrating them successful nan crowded centers favored by hotels. And, says Airbnb, STRs supply a viable replacement for short-term accommodation during precocious season, helping nan section organization and homeowners financially.

Hotels’ Response to Airbnb vs Hotels Debate

European edifice manufacture chiefs person deed backmost astatine Airbnb’s claims successful nan report, accusing nan institution misleading and unfair. This is nan statement Gabriel Escarrer, nan CEO of Meliá Hotels International, uses to look down Airbnb, explaining that edifice room maturation successful Spain has been rather modest, astatine 2.5% during nan past decade. On nan different hand, nan request for STRs saw a drastic emergence – by astir 135% – which was acold supra nan destination accommodation levels, and created a tremendous load connected section communities and infrastructure.

Escarrer insists that hotels are taxable to rigorous regulations successful statement pinch nan section municipality improvement plans and pinch sustainable communities. In contrast, he condemns nan fast, mostly uncontrolled dispersed of STRs for fragmenting section life and overburdening nationalist resources.

Hotels besides contend that they connection galore benefits to nan spot wherever they’re established, specified arsenic jobs and nan inclusion of community-friendly offerings for illustration coworking spaces, restaurants and wellness centers. Other edifice chains, specified arsenic Accor, laud nan section reception of its precocious built edifice successful Barcelona and spotted nan collaborative improvement of nan edifice pinch section stakeholders.

Call for Objective Analysis

The statement is heated, of course; independent case-by-case investigation is important yet to find nan publication of Airbnb and hotels to overtourism, manufacture analysts say. Experts opportunity Airbnb’s communicative has been nether nan strongest lens ever posed by an expanding slew of tougher regulations, specified arsenic caller setbacks erstwhile Spain wiped retired tens of thousands of forbidden Airbnb listings, resulting successful a travel of money from nan institution to nan due channels.

More Than Just a Place to Stay: Overtourism connected a Grand Scale

Although Airbnb and hotels are often nan attraction of conversations, location are different culprits; fund airlines, cruise ships and expanded airports and ports each play a domiciled successful overtourism. Barcelona, for instance, lacks power complete cardinal ports and airports that lend importantly to nan city’s congestion problems.

Local Responses and Sustainable Solutions

European cities are testing proactive measures against overtourism. Barcelona plans to prohibition tourer slanted STRs by nan extremity of 2028, and looking astatine much stringent regulations and taxation connected rental properties.

Hotel chains are besides being much environmentally active. Accor is progressive successful responsible tourism projects, and Meliá Hotels takes a guidelines by renovating its existing properties successful a sustainable manner, alternatively of expanding its edifice portfolio unchecked.

Toward Sustainable Tourism successful Europe

In nan extremity addressing overtourism successful Europe requires a balanced and collaborative attack betwixt authorities authorities, hospitality providers, section communities and carrier operators. Solid information from neutral sources, capable regulation, thoughtful municipality readying and bully relationship pinch nan organization are cardinal to sustainable tourism that besides offers benefits to visitors and to locals.

The responsible tackling of overtourism will support European cities to stay charismatic while preserving section residential value of life.