Summer beach battle between locals and visitors heats up as overtourism soars

As overtourism continues to grow into a serious problem, the summer travel season has European locals fighting for beach real estate. 

Local tourism has fallen in Spain by 800,000 people — while foreign tourism has seen an increase of 1.94 million visitors, according to The Associated Press (AP).

Spaniard Wendy Davila told AP she misses the days of her childhood holidays visiting Alicante on the Mediterranean.

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“Now you don’t go on [vacation] wherever you want, but wherever you can,” said Davila.

She added, “Prices have risen outrageously. The whole Spanish coast is very expensive.”

Last month, protesters gathered in Barcelona and on the island of Mallorca.

Some squirted tourists with water guns to try to “cool town” tourism, claiming their rents are soaring, Fox News Digital previously reported. 

Jose Maria Basanez, group president of price monitoring firm Tecnitasa, told AP, “It is becoming increasingly difficult for Spanish holidaymakers to afford beachfront tourism rentals.”

Most beachfront rentals were booked for the summer by the first quarter, with prices rising 20.3% since mid-2023, according to Tecnitasa.

Ninety-four million international travelers visited Spain in 2024, according to the country’s tourism minister. 

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Juan Pedro Aznar, professor and researcher at the Madrid-based Esade business school, told AP there could be a displacement effect due to Spaniards’ purchasing power in comparison to that of foreign tourists. 

“I used to go to my family’s house, but there are more and more foreign tourists in Cadiz and when a cruise ship arrives, the population doubles,” said Aznar.

He added, “It’s overwhelming.”

Locals in Spain made about 400,000 fewer trips to the major cities, while foreign tourist trips to Spanish cities increased by nearly 3 million last year, according to AP.

Barcelona officials had planned to ban short-term tourist apartment rentals by 2028, FOX Business previously reported. 

Short-term rentals in Barcelona have been stagnant for years, remaining at around 10,000 since 2014, according to figures from Barcelona’s City Hall. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.