Thank you for doing this video. We're not against tourism, we just want a place to live.

There's a good reason why in my country of Singapore, Airbnb was banned. To keep the hotel going and employment active. Public housing cannot be used for businesses. To avoid scarcity

I was born and live in Barcelona, ​​we have always had tourism since the Olympic Games, the problem is that their number has tripled and the bus, metro, etc. service has not. For housing, there are offices that ask triple what they did a few years ago, which is why many people have to leave their city. I don't blame the tourist, I blame the government that is selling the city.

I've visited Spain several times and I'm actually going to be traveling there this October (am taking my dad who has never been to Spain before). As someone who lived and still works in NYC (another huge tourist destination), I am very mindful of the impact that tourism has on the places that I want to visit so I strive very hard to be a good tourist. I don't stay in AirB&Bs and prefer hotels (especially locally owned hotels rather than the big chains). When I go to the restaurants outside of the tourist centers because I want a more authentic experience, I keep in mind that I'm a guest and that my presence should not impact the locals who cherish these places. I try to use as much of the local language as I can cram into my head and whenever possible, I avoid traveling during the busiest times of the year. And I try to spend some of my time in the less visited cities so that I'm not just focusing on the big tourist centers. I cherish my time in this beautiful country and am looking forward to showing it to my father.

They have to tax the shit out of homeowners who don’t live in their homes as well. Buying a home for yourself is a thing, but coming to another country to purchase multiple real estate just to leech on the worker class is another thing.

AS Ibiza citizen I can confirm that I can see tourists don't mind spending a couple of thousant euros to rent a place, and pay 10€ for a drink, but locals can't afford to live like that. there are thousands upon thousands of outside cars, you can't go anywhere, you can't park anywhere. how do you empty your groceries from your car?? More tourists, more services, more workforce, more housing, but more housing is more profitable if you accomodate tourists, that will need more and more (and let's not talk about water, electricity, pollution, garbage... and needed professionals, no police, no medical staff, no teachers, ...)

I visited Madrid Alicante and Valencia in May of this year. Everywhere we went we were treated respectfully. I absolutely loved that country. I do feel for the locals who are getting priced out.

I go to Spain often from the US as my sister lives and works in Valencia. In our last trip, while visiting Toledo, we sat down with a tour guide that was pretty open and honest with us: they want and appreciate the tourists. What they don’t appreciate is the government ONLY catering to tourists. She told us that there’s too many empty houses/apartments in Toledo that are empty because investors come in and leave them empty until they can sell it 3 o 4 times higher than worth. Plus, the lack of services, public parks, even lack of supermarkets and stores (she joked that there’s only so many “I love Toledo” T-shirts one should have). In Barcelona, this sentiment is not new. I remember back in 2012 the signs with “tourists not welcome”. Spoke with a friend this year and she explained how Airbnbs are just out of control. In her building they have 2 that are mostly used by tourist on bachelor/bachelorette parties, so the place is often trashed. The solutions proposed was to try and bring more “high end” tourists, which has resulted in new luxury developments that the regular Barcelonians can’t even afford. People are pissed. In conclusion, based on my interactions and visits, I’ll strongly recommend supporting these efforts. Spain is an amazing country and has amazing people. Is only far that those of us that enjoy visiting, empathise and support their fight for better conditions on their daily lives. Mad respect for those speaking out and driving positive change.

As spaniard I have to say, thank you for this video!

Barcelona resident here! I think the main contributor of the housing crisis here is not tourism, they have already been battling Airbnb here for a while. The main changing point was the implementation of Nomad and Startup visas. What we faced is that a bunch of wealthy (much wealthier) people from all over the world moved to Spain (and most of them clearly didn't want to move to Elche, they moved to Barcelona, Valencia, Malaga etc.) and basically they rented out all the available apartments for ridiculous prices that locals will never be able to afford. Some of them are literally using the fact that it is a new visa and approval rate is really high, they declare less income to pay minimum taxes, those who required to register as AUTONOMO to pay Seguro Social never did. Some quite literally making business here but they don't open the company for that, they wash those money through their originate country. Like honestly, there were always crowds of tourists here but things went downhill after these visas and a bunch of people coming. Also, landlords started this trend of signing the contract limited to 11 months to be able to set any price they want and there are still a bunch of foreigners who are able to pay anything to be able to live in the city that has way lower cost of living than their country. I am myself a foreigner and I talk to a bunch of new comers and this is a clear picture of what is happening. The worst part is that locals don't even see any financial profit from these people while locals have NO tax regulations like 24% (Backham law) and being still ripped off by hacienda. Throw out all these nomads (or force them to move to the rural areas without housing problems if they still want to stay in the country) and there will be a thousands apartments available with normal prices. You will hear something similar is also happening in Portugal. Well, cause they were first to implement those visa types

I think tourists themselves have changed. People used to go to foreign lands to experience new cultures, art, architecture, immerse themselves. Now people go to show off on social media. I once walked through London where there was a long queue of tourists who wanted to be photographed in a telephone box! You don’t need that photo, you need it for instagram etc.

It is so very rare in this world to see this sort of nuanced, thoughtful analysis of an issue. Thank you so very much for providing it.

It is not just in Spain. It is everywhere.

I don't do Air BnB. It's not much cheaper than hotel anymore. Plus all the hassle what you are allowed to do and not to do. I choose small owner-run hotels that do not belong to international chains. I love traveling but I wont support draining the housing market.

Thank you for the video!! I am from TENERIFE and clearly tourists dont have the fault, so I do not share these messages like "tourists go home" or throwing water for them to leave... this is not right. I have also been a tourist. The problem in Spain and especially in the Canary Islands is the quantity of tourists that come every year. Brazil receives 6 Million tourists per year. Canary Islands receive 16 Million. Therfore, our question is: when will it stop? which is the limit? will we continue building everywhere? and who are we building for? Thank you very much for the attention! And DO NOT STOP COMING TO SPAIN!!! YOU ARE NOT THE PROBLEM. Viva España

La semana pasada estuve en Londres después de 20 años. No te puedes imaginar la tristeza que me dio el ver cómo la ciudad había cambiado. Quizás no notemos dichos cambios en nuestras propias ciudades, pero cada vez, todas van perdiendo su encanto personal. Los pequeños negocios desaparecen para ser renovados por grandes cadenas que hacen que todas las ciudades se parezcan perdiendo su encanto personal. Me gusta el turismo porque yo también disfruto haciéndolo, pero creo que los gobiernos deberían de proteger el cómo hacerlo. No tendríamos que ser las personas las que tuviéramos que llegar a las calles, y no hablo de España solo. Creo que respetar la individualidad nos enriquece a todos y mejora la calidad tanto de las personas que vivimos en focos turísticos como de las personas que vienen a conocernos ❤

Not only due to house rental inflations, tourist behaviour is also a big issues. A friend of mine that lives at Valencia told me that some tourists, especially British, throw empty beer cans on the streets and yell really loud at midnight

Barcelona resident here. The city is suffering a huge housing crysis. Rents are extremely expensive for locals (way above the average salary) due to housing speculation, AirBnBs, and basically foreigners being able to pay more. Locals are moved away from their city and local authorities seem to offer no support, but rather they stay on the side of gentrification. Further, the actitude of some tourists is absolutely disrespectful. Living with this problematic every day can be really exhausting. We are not against tourism itself, but against the unsustainable, disrespectul and gentrifying model that the city has adopted.

I went to Dubrovnik and felt that the city was an amusement park and not a living city. The same with Venice and it is happening in many cities in Spain. This tourist model needs to be changed. And I am sayong that being a tourist myself.

I live in Barcelona and this city doesn’t belong to its inhabitants but to tourists. There is no more neighborhood social life in many parts of the city. When I go to a terrace of café at 5 pm with a friend, the waitress tells me in an aggressive way that the terrace is only for people who eats. If I order pan con tomate y olivas, once I finish it she comes right away with the bill, encouraging me to leave. The metro is so packed with tourists that I don’t want to go to office anymore. The price of apartment rental increases so much, it’s crazy. And in front of my window in a neighborhood famous for its local resident life, I see different people every week, celebrating on the terrace of their Airbnb’s and shouting in a foreign language until the middle of the night. Horrible !

We just returned from a 2 week vacation in Spain. We stayed with friends and I saw the news about Barcelona airbnb bans coming. While We visited major areas like Toledo, Madrid, Sevilla and Segovia we also visited smaller towns and areas that locals go to

It is also nerve wrecking when those in the tourist apartments rage well into the night and sometimes during the day. I understand you are on vacation and want to enjoy yourselves but you have to remember this isnt Disneyland, people live and work here.

You can't say that Spain needs 600k new houses in one breath and then say there are 3.8M houses sitting empty in the next. The root of the problem is not a lack of housing, the root of the problem is greed for profit, and disrespect and selfishness to get the best outcome for oneself even if (or especially) at the expense of someone else. These are the reasons behind every single thing that is wrong in the world.

Tourists go home but leave your wallets behind.

I am travelling to Spain a lot, but I try now to visit only non touristic regions inside the peninsula like for instance Estremadura. You can find there much more peace and less people. And it is still beautiful 😍

This is a global phenomenon, I am from Liverpool England,house prices have quadrupled as have rental prices, social housing isn’t being built, and big business are buying up properties for rental and Airbnb, my daughter is still living with me at the age of 33 it’s ridiculous something has to change, but I am amazed at what I see in Spain boarded up houses because families can’t afford to pay the inheritance tax and that’s down to the government also the in-completed property developments !

Careful what you wish for spain....

1:52 For those curious, the Catalan part of the signs say "The beach is open. No jellyfish and no "guiris" (tourists)" and "Come in, the danger isn't landslides, it's tourism"

It’s getting nearly impossible for us young adults to move out from our parent’s homes and be able to buy our own houses. Plus there is just too much unbehaved tourism in Barcelona, to say an example. We don’t mind about tourists who actually are interested in knowing our history and art and appreciate our culture at all, we are just fed up at the beach-alcohol-party tourism that come to our cities as if it was some kind of theme park.

I lived in Spain for five years and just got back from a few weeks visit in Madrid (plus surrounding areas) and Sevilla. We had no issues at all. Granted, I speak the language and do my best to blend in and respect where I am, but if asked, I tell them where I’m from. Had nothing but lovely interactions. I think tourists have a huge responsibility to care for and respect where they’re visiting more than the locals. I’m a smoker, but never walk and smoke, even if locals do. I collect my rubbish until I find the right bins, and always order in question form (please / thank you). The airbnb issue isn’t unique to Spain and the anger needs to be directed towards those who let it happen, not those who use it. Spain is a wonderful country that I miss daily, and I’m very lucky to still have friends there I can go see, and I get the anger (having seen how some tourists behave), but the bulk of it seems to be aimed at a chain or two too low.

We don't need to build more houses, the houses are there and built already. Now some companies are promoting that idea about we need to build more houses because the next business for the construction companies is to get money from the government to build social housing.

There's another issue that enraged people here, when on last summer some autonomous communities had droughts or serious lack of water and their regional governments decided to priorize hotels over citizens if they had to declare water cuts. It was kind of insane... Also, some of the jobs in the touristic sector have the lowest salaries as most part of touristic income goes just to big companies, landlords and property owners, not the regular citizens... However, this is a global matter. I live in a Galician city in Spain which has right now lots of issues with mass tourism and Airbnbs, but I've also been to other cities in Europe, and I've felt like I was part of the problem. I've even been called "tourist nightmare" in Edinburgh, and I got it: no locals were enjoying their own Castle, later when we went to see the Highlands the amazing Loch Ness had become just a tourist trap... And also, in Porto, Portugal, it just felt as an amusement park. I have this rule myself of not booking Airbnbs, but still, I did felt as part of the problem. Capitalism has turn tourism into a quick, shallow mass consumption instead of a way of discovery and cultural approach, no matter where you are. What was beautiful now is broken, and it's all due to greed.

What is needed everywhere is sustainable tourism, and I definitely know what I'm talking about. I have been working in this field for decades. Nevertheless, in a lot of areas in my country (Spain), it got completely out of our hands. 😢

the rent prices are inflated this is a really big problem and hard to solve

The problem with Airbnb is that they lie. A few weeks ago, a spanish newspaper publish the difference between the official register of tourist apartments in Madrid and the reality on Airbnb (much more there). The solution of the City Hall was erasing the access to that public register XD

I was in Malaga and Marbella in April and it was an amazing visit! This channel was absolutely a perfect guide on how to enjoy the region and be respectful of the culture. Hands down, Spain revealed has been the best guide channel we’ve used to travel to any country (and the only one I’ve subscribed to permanently). Keep it up! I really appreciate the information 🙏

I was waiting your take on that. I am traveling to Spain (and Europe) for the first time next week. I consciously choose to be in hotels instead of cheaper rentals. I sympathize with the protesters demands, coming from a touristy city myself I feel the pain of having to either live on slums or be forced to live two to three hours away from work. Nevertheless, I hope the protesters does not use violence against tourists themselves and focus on their representatives and their business on the city.

Same problem in Greece !!! In some island it’s ridiculous as it’s so crowded that you can’t even walk …I will not even bother to comment the accommodation prices and the lack of properties because of Airbnbs.

Tourists are NOT the problem, and there are many people who confuse it unfortunately. The problem is the companies that overexploit the places without any shame and generate an environment specifically made to expel the locals and be able to buy their houses to rent them to more tourists

I have been living in Sevilla for nearly eight years now and I have seen a gradual "creep" of the tourist area. I used to live the other side of the semi official demarcation between "tourist town" and real town but in my last year there I saw a definate change. An old Union headquarters was turned into tourist apartments moe than doubling the people on the street. Not too bad in and of itself but my block of 24 flats had increasing numbers of air b'n'bs which changed the vibe with suitcases being dragged across the patio at all hours. I had to move for work reasons but the final straw came when people in the flat above my next door neighbours thought it wa a good idea to play "We are the champions" at full volume at 2:30 in the morning with their windows open. One set of neighbours left for work at 7:30 and another has 2 children aged under 10. ¿Falta de respeto o que?

Global issue, Glad Spain is moving forward to fix this issue. I love Spain. And I understand this needs to be done to save a generation of Spaniards. We need this in America.

The last the you want when visiting another country is to be made to feel unwelcome. Hearing the news and watching this video was enough to put me off from going, I’m going to Morocco now instead, the Spanish are happy and so am I.

Aside from just tourists, Spain has also welcomed MILLIONS of new immigrants/expats the past few years. This is causing a higher demand in housing just like in Canada. Many of these immigrants/expats are from higher-income countries who would willingly pay for higher rent, causing the market prices to increase even more and driving out the locals.

We have the same problem in Central Oregon. The people who work and live here, cannot make enough money to afford housing. I was lucky and bought my house before this all began happening. But I honestly do not know how anyone (especially single people) can afford to live here. Traffic is out of control in the summer and our infrastructure doesn't keep up. So I get it. I visited Spain for the first time in April. I visited Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Granada, Cordoba, Seville, Malaga and a couple of other small towns. The only place I did not feel welcome was Barcelona and in a few places in Malaga. But overall, the locals were very nice. I also tried to be a "good tourist". This was my first visit to Spain (first time out of the USA)i tried to learn as much Spanish as I thought I needed (I needed more, but it was a good try) and understand the culture to prepare me to go with their flow, I was aware of my impact on people around me, conscious of local traditions, etc. I really tried not to be an A$$hole (mostly thanks to James and Yolly for their excellent guidance on how to not be "that" tourist). But I definitely saw a lot of them (tourists) and it made me sad that people, no matter where you are from, could be so disrespectful and nasty. Again, in my small Oregon town we get the same thing each summer. It begins around March. Traffic starts to get ridiculous and by the time May rolls around it is impossible to get a seat at any of our favorite restaurants or local attractions. Sometimes it does annoy me. But I also have to remember that I am also a tourist when I travel outside of my hometown and to just do my best to be a good tourist wherever I go.

I absolutely love traveling and exploring. Been to Spain so many times throughout my life. If you cannot go to another country and respect the people, the locals and their cultures do not go.

As a spaniard, what he says on minute 11:00 is the Key, what was first the chicken or the egg? what is causing the lack of housing? the mass tourism or the landlords not wanting to put out the apartments for long rent? many spaniards have a second home inherited from a relative and when they think what is the safest investment they have no doubt about it, its much safer to rent it to a tourist even if it takes more work. Spanish justice is the second part of the problem, it takes more than a year to kick out anyone who stops paying rent, so many people take advantage of this and scares landlords, my partners family had an apartment in the center of seville empty for 6 years because they are scared to rent it out to anyone and they are too old to manage an AirBnb. This might not be the only issue but in my humble opinion is the one that frustrates the most.

In Spain we do not want the same thing to happen as with Venice, which has gone from being a living city to being a dead city and an amusement park. Even if new houses are built, these houses will be on the outskirts, and the center of the cities will be an amusement park for tourists. Mass tourism out !

My family and I usually go to Spain 3 or 4 times a year, for the past 45 years. We speake Spanish and had a house in Alicante until I was 15. I learnt to walk, swim, rollerblade, and drive in Spain. For the past 11 years we have been staying at a family owned hotel and put down 10-20k euros each year there. Now after the protest and getting sprayed with water we cancelled our trips. The autum trip this year, spring, and summer trips next year are cancelled. We just booked a trip to Crete. Let's hope the locals are welcoming.

The housing issue is very similar to what we’ve been having here in Maui. In our case, it was exacerbated by the fire that destroyed so many homes.

Málaga has sold its soul. I’ve been here for 23 years and in the past two years, the centre has become a noisy mass of shoulder to shoulder tourists, not fun for anyone. We locals have been squeezed out. Prices of restaurants and rentals have more than doubled and the charming local businesses have been replaced by big franchises. The rental laws make it risky for landlords to rent long term, favouring squatters. My two cents: -change the laws so that landlords have incentives to rent long-term. -crack down on illegal short term rentals -change the labour laws so that it’s not so expensive to be self-employed (autónomo), thus encouraging small businesses that don’t rely on tourism.

I'm from Spain, Valencia exactly. We don't have any problem with tourism. This information is Barcelona is not the total for Spain. Tourism in Spain is the first engine of the economy, it is the most important. At the same time I need to ask for respect for our culture, art and history. Lack of knowledge causes people to behave inappropriately and that can lead to public fatigue. Spain is more than Barcelona and Madrid, enjoy our country with respect. Be more than welcome.

Native Spanish here. I live in the Costa Brava and my city triples or even quadruples its population during summer, not just for foreigners, from other tourists within Spain too. It is a known fact of our city that rentals are only during summer season, a lot of landlords don't even rent outside of it, the ones that do tend to do it exorbitant high prices and it's quite hard to find an actual place to live here. Some excoworkers were looking to move here and it was basically impossible.

I love Spain! I think it’s important to visit different regions, something we do most times we visit.

From Tenerife, I have to say a huge THANK YOU for this explanation on what's going on here.

Como portugués, no me considero un turista, sino un vecino.😁 Estuve en Barcelona hace dos años visitando a un amigo que vive allí y entiendo perfectamente por qué es la elección de tantos turistas. Es una ciudad increíble. Planeo volver pronto, espero que no te importe.

I think you made a great video. Were from Puerto Rico and airbnb has donde the same. We love Spain so much. And we hope this is solve soon. Thanks for this.

You really dig the topic. Thanx for this video from Barcelona!

We've just cancelled our trip to Spain later this year after seeing the escalation of anti-tourist protests.

Thanks for this balanced look at tourism. Airbnb is an easy target but as you point out it's much more complicated. In places in the US where Airbnb is not a presence, many suburban neighborhoods, houses are still hard to find, expensive, and very competitive to acquire. Conversely, in places where housing isn't as much of the core issue, like Alaska or the Isle of Skye, where the natural surrounding are the star attraction, over tourism is a problem and eliminating Airbnb won't solve much. Several US National Parks typically over run during the summer months, have now started a permitting process, limiting the number of tourists. As a tourist I applaud any action to control roving hordes who just there for the instagram pics. If that means traveling becomes a little more difficult and requires more thought and restraint, yippie.

They say they’re not against tourists themselves… but they’ve been seen harassing people at cafes.

Wow... the teacher who lives in Mallorca and works in Ibiza is clearly what the actual problem is. Super cheap flights and ridiculous shelter prices.

Nice to see someone treating the subject with knowledge and respect. I´m a Barcelona resident and the backlash and ignorance on the internet about this topic is painful and shows exactly why people are fed up.

As a Greek, we are also sick of young British tourists coming and releasing all that aggressive energy in our towns, behaving like there is no tomorrow. Because in the UK they can’t do that. I am not generelizing all the British! I love the British, just these big groups of young tourists coming in, is beyond out of control. And the same goes for Spain, Italy and the Netherlands.

It’s a global issue & I’m glad countries are addressing the problem now!

To be honest the problem is greed. I’ve moved recently to Spain and I can tell you how though was to find an apartment available for living and not for short term stay. Property owners don’t want to rent to people who live here just because isn’t profitable as it would for tourists / short stays. of course, it ends up in inflated prices and forcing people who want to live in the city to adjacent places. IMHO the protests should ask for a regulation on prices to prevent the practice of abusive prices, what make Spaniards suffering

Most of spaniards love tourist. I'm Spanish and we love your visits. Why? Because we know people from other countries and we share points of views..please, keep visiting us. It is a very sad situation. But for real, we normally enjoy the experience

Most of the best older properties in Spain sit empty because the banks have and continue to mismanage their mortgages and defaulting debtors that remortgaged and bought other assets before defaulting meaning the next buyer has to clear the debt before they can pay for their own mortgage. Add to that global inflation and bad monetary policies by central banks.. not all tourism but I get why they feel it’s taking over.

Hi James great vid. Housing is a big issue everywhere it seems. It is here in Australia. We have been tourists and will be again - so we are part of the 'problem' but I think the mass groups really annoy everyone, locals and other tourists alike. When we were in the Alhambra sitting quietly looking for the frogs in the pools and enjoying the garden, we were whistled at and told to get out of the shot as a group of about 50 people were waiting for the 'perfect' photo ... and then they all moved on to the next photo op. We tried airbnbs for the first time in 2022 but we will use hotels next trip. In Seville there was a taxi strike the day we needed one because they were protesting about Uber - We didn't complain because we could understand the reasons - but this is the era of disruptive capitalism and - you are right - it is going to take a lot of planning to improve the situation.

En el "desajuste entre la oferta y la demanda" de la vivienda en España a todos se les olvida mencionar algunos factores vitales para el asunto. Sociedades de Inversión Inmobiliaria aka SOCIMIS que no tributan ni sociedades desde 2012, mismas SOCIMIS que atrajo Capital extranjero para invertir en vivienda y locales por su rentabilidad superior al 20%, esto ha llevado a la mayor acumulación de vivienda y locales en pocas manos de toda la historia de España y también a un enorme porcentaje de vivienda vacía incluso en zonas tensionadas como Palma o Barcelona. No hay simplemente un desajuste entre la oferta y demanda, construyamos más pisos, sino que hay gente muy rica con muchísimos pisos y pisos sin usar, mientras que hay más gente sin casa que nunca. Sin expropiación a los mayores tenedores de vivienda de España (1º Black Rock, el mayor fondo buitre del mundo) no hay solución al problema, porque en este país se ha construido vivienda de sobra hasta 2050. Por otro lado, sólo hablas del turismo de visitar museos y demás, pero el mayoritario en cifras, el gordo en facturación y que el empresariado español busca como nada es el turismo de masas de alcohol y fiesta, y ese es una basura que ojalá desapareciera para siempre.

I feel for the locals. I know many go to Barcelona just to party. Instead of getting up early, taking the train to Montserrat, they would rather stay in the bars until early in the morning. I suggested this trip to 2 different groups that were going there and neither took my advice. Spain needs to do what they have to do and if that means cracking down on short term rentals, then do it. BTW, my wife and I love Madrid and Malaga.

The fact that some tourism-oriented businesses close is a positive thing for, at least, Barcelona. Over the last decade, these businesses have been eating up traditional places, bars, locals, gathering areas, etc. See what is sold in la Boqueria, for example. Reducing tourism would stop this degradation of the city's identity. And one single airbnb apartment in a building can really mess things up. There's often people making parties late at night, bothering the residents that have to work the following day, etc. The owners of these appartments have been playing around in god-like mode for too much, limits are being set and if they keep their appartments empty, there will be more taxes on them. I live and work in Barcelona, and the list of reasons we'd like tourism to be less than half its current amount is unending. We could also talk about cruises, highly contaminating ships that land hundreds of travelers whose money only goes to certain wallets, or the metros full of path-blocking people with huge luggages in the morning, and drunken tourists at night... The city has already been degraded in terms of identity and tradition. Crime (thefts, robberys, pick-pocketing) has skyrocketed, as well as prices of restaurants and housing, etc. Therefore it is time for the city to put hard limits on tourism, and every step counts.

There are two important things that I have learned after visiting Spain, which also applies to visiting other countries: Learn the languages and customs of the country, or at least try. Be polite and respectful to people, and they will (mostly) be nice to you.

Hey Spaniards, it happens in the UK too, ask anyone living in London or Cornwall. This is a problem in a lot of places but people should have the right to travel. However I totally agree about the housing, something needs to happen in all these places. You can’t have good working people living in caravans so people can holiday in rental flats. Time to step up politicians and actually do something.

Spanish here from Malaga. Your video was very accurate and also objective. I reckon politicians are also quite happy about tourism taking the guilt. Its a good scapegoat. The true problem is the lack of building for so many years, the over regulation or prevention to allow to build more and the lack of an actual strategy to tackle the whole situation. Add to this the lack of legal certainty and there you. I am currently trying to buy a house and we can't as prices soared in most cases by more than 50% in less than 4 years.

Spain is pretty much off my list of places to visit in Europe after this. Protest your government, not tourists who come and spend money in your cities. They have no idea what is going on. Now if you catch a tourist breaking laws or damaging things, video them and report them. Otherwise why would you throw things at them and squirt them with water? I live in Florida and we have SO many tourists and Snow Birds(people who come and stay during certain months and then go back up north). We may grumble about it being crowded, we have to live with horrendous traffic, our beaches are lined with hotels/condos, but we aren't accosting them. We also know their money is what helps pay for a lot of things in Florida. We also have had home prices SOAR here recently. My two adult children still live with us because they can't afford to move out. Young people here can't buy a home with 40% of their pay, many can't even rent with 40% of their pay because rent has gone up so high. Big corporations have bought homes for rentals and advertise to buy more. But still we don't blame the tourists who have no idea about any of this. So backwards and ignorant to attack tourists. I hope all those who protested just stay in Spain and don't plan on ever leaving it's boundaries. Because guess what....if they do leave Spain then they are a tourist and under their own rules, they should be accosted EVERYWHERE they go.

-House rental prices have been on the rise for the last three years, having so far increased in price by over 70% during that timespan, while salaries have barely improved. -Tourism creates employment, but of extremely low quality. People have to work over 50 hours a week only to afford a small flat 25-30 minutes away from their workplace. Illegal working conditions for both waiters/waitresses and cooking staff have multiplied, since an absurd amount of owners cheap out on their staff evading taxes and paying wages under the legal minimum. -Tourists more often than not are rude. Of course there are many respectful people coming here, but many a tourist ends up drunk (cheap alcohol yay!), being noisy and littering all over the place. -60% of house purchases in 2023 were made with no mortgage involved. This form of cash on the nail payment is common for investors and vulture funds. -80% of unused flats belong to banks. There are 3,800,000 empty houses awaiting profitable sales while Spain is one of the countries in Europe with lowest amount of social housing. -Most economic aids given by governments are by paying with tax money part of the rental. Scalpers know this, so they inflate prices to make up for the discount. In the end we all pay so scalpers can get a larger margin. -Banks have made obtaining a mortgage extremely difficult. On average, young people between 18 and 25 who want to live alone need to spend up to 90% of their income if they want to opt in for a house. -Banks keep the housing prices high since 2008, so their enormous stock of empty houses doesn't show up as loss on their balances. They accepted most of those houses as eviction payment for loans obtained by building companies, that went bankrupt when the housing bubble burst back then. So dear reader, do you think we Spaniards have reasons to complain or not?

Tiene que haber dos mejoras fundamentales para un turismo racional 1 Que los empresarios paguen mas a los empleados del sector y con mejores condiciones laborales. 2 Un límite para los pisos de alquiler para que no afecte al precio de la vivienda para los residentes. Esto va de la mano con que los políticos municipales y de las comunidades regionales construyan suficiente vivienda protegida de una puñetera vez. QUEREMOS SUFICIENTES VIVIENDAS PROTEGIDAS YA !!!

A very good commentary. For those of us who finally have time to travel on short tours here and there (no airbnbs) this deters us from going at all.

Airbnb became high regulated here in nyc and housing costs continue to skyrocket so its going to take a lot more to fix this issue

Let’s see what happens when tourists stop going to Spain 🤷‍♂️

Thank you for the very clear and concise information. You make some very good points for both sides of the coin.. Spain was on my shortlist of places to visit, but I will be removing it from my list for the time being based on the mood toward tourists at this time!

The main problem with housing is governments not building enough housing. Although I guess the situation is different in the islands because space is more limited.

Well explained, thank you! :) I am living and working in South Tenerife and the issues are exactly those explained in this video.

As someone who's lived in Barcelona for the last 11 years, I don't think tourism has gotten worse, it's pretty much the same every year, maybe there's a little bit more people, but nothing crazy. And I really appreciate people from around the world coming to visit my city.

Let's also call out what is one of the biggest problems for cities like Barcelona. The big cruise ships that pull in, dump thousands of people for a few hours (almost all of which are racing to see the same few sites) and then leave. These tourists aren't spending money in local restaurants or businesses, so the local community isn't benefiting. And when you consider that multiple ships might arrive each day, it's easy to see how this is an unsustainable situation. It's the same issue that we see in Venice and Dubrovnik. There is the kind of tourism that actually benefits the community and the kind of "hit it and quit it" visitors who just show up long enough to see a few sites before they rush away.

I think that one of the most important points that Spanish activism sometimes forget is not being against tourists (the "tourists go home" slogan feel that way), but against how tourism is being managed. Everyone is a tourist sometimes, I constantly see "tourists go home" people going to other countries to do tourism, we can't be that blind/hypocritical. Tourism is good as long as it doesn't destroy the local ways of living

Wow. Spaniards complaining about colonialism, how rich.

This issue is not unique to Spain. It's the same in almost every major city. I'm from Scotland and the same issues are prevalent in Edinburgh. The old town of Edinburgh is like a Scottish Disney land now. It's not tourism that is the issue. It's a result of capitalism and wealthy people buying up and hoarding assets (property). Tourist can help the issue by being ethical. Eat in independent restaurants, stay in hostels or hotels if traveling alone and respect local culture and traditions.

I love Spain and I’ve been there as a tourist myself BUT I totally understand why this is happening. From the first time I went to the last time I saw and felt the decline of cities.

I really agree that banning Airbnb will do little to solve housing crisis, or even tourism to be honest. It is a big topic, for sure. Many places that don't have tourism have a housing crisis that is getting out of hand. The real issue is that only those who already have money and homes can purchase properties - or even rent and then sublet. This creates an unnecessary layer of costs. Even when they do add housing, it gets gobbled up by investors (see empty billion dollar condos in NYC). Sadly, banning Airbnb seems to catch headlines, and offers those in charge the perception of doing something, even if that's a very low risk, easy response. What they should be doing is addressing that extra layer and make it much less lucrative for those who already have homes to make money off of the housing crisis.

Regulate the number of cruise boats - they are a blight. AirBNB should also be banned in any city. As James says Spain also need to look at their regulations and housing strategy. Just like all countries around the world.

Come to Bermuda we love ❤️tourists ‼️🇧🇲

I've been planning a trip to Barcelona and travel down to Valencia and Alicante but this video has really put me off booking. The stories of people being robbed in Barcelona has always frightened me but this has now completely put me off visiting.

Don't get me started on Seville... The same town hall is opposing charging tourists as little s 3euro a night, seeing as they are completely abducted by the hospitality lobby. Now, charging people for accessing a public town square that was designed to embrace the casual flaneur, on the other hand... A sqaure that is completely for sale and holds private music festivals....

Just returned & had a marvelous time. Enjoyed seeing the city celebrate the Euro 24! I understand the locals strife, we have housing issues back home as well.

I think there is a big problem with cruises as they dump thousands of tourists on a city for a few hours or a day & many dont spend any money in the city.

We were going to plan a four week holiday in Spain however are now looking elsewhere.

I’m from Ibiza and want to congratulate you for your coverage about this topic. It’s 100% spot on. The issue are not the tourist, but the regulations. We have reached a point were we feel this mass “touristifaction “ is no longer benefiting the local economy, but enriching certain people. As many know, politics in Spain is quite corrupted and this, added to spanish and foreigners alike buying and renting out properties without any sort of control, is creating a big burden among locals. In Ibiza most of my friends had to abandon their families and move out of the island due to high prices. A really popular thing to say among locals is the sentence “Spain is on sale”. And that’s literally true, as the first thing you see when you reach a touristy destination is an add from “idealista” saying: “do you want to buy a house in Spain?” targeting foreigners. Thanks for sharing. If people really pay attention to your message, they will understand. But it will difficult for many if they don’t live in a crowded environment. Greetings.

Spanish guy from Cadiz here. As a native of a highly turistic area, I think that I can give some insight about this, or at least, our perpective as natives. First of all, I have been living out of spain, so I know how it is outside my country. The problem has several sides: 1) Tourism industry: Tourism industry in spain is based on the idea of "cheap tourism". Spain is a very cheap country if you compare it to Italy, France, Germany.... And the business model here is to attract people with good things at cheap prices. And that´s chain. Low prices means low salaries. It´s just like that. If you ask in Spain to people working on bars, restaurants, hotels.... The inmense majority of these workers have very bad contracts or straight away illegal contracts. Things like working 60 hours a week with a contract of 20 and getting paid the other 40 under the table, with no days off, it´s quite common. Been there, done that. That´s one of the main reasons. Beside, the touristic business are not family business anymore. It´s all big companies and hedge funds. For them we are not people, we are numbers. They don´t care about my hometown. When the location gets "burned" and it´s not attractive anymore, they will go and look for a new one. Period. 2) Big property owners: Spain is a country full of old families without money but with a lot of properties. This is very common here, people see the bricks and mortar as a safe investment. That mean that there are a lot of families that can own several properties. And when I say several I mean HUNDREDS. When I was living in Seville, my flat was owned by a family (two brothers) that had around 200 rental flats. Most of them dedicated to short stays. And we have enough empty houses to house people, we created SAREB, known in spain as the "banco malo" to buy those flats from the banks and sell it to the people that was a total failure and a mechanism created only to save the bank industry from a 18% default in their numbers. It costed 45000 millons of euros to all spanish people, but nobody seems to remember it. 3) Airbnb. Airbnb is guity in this situation. Not as a company but as a concept. For example, if you try to rent a flat in my area, 90% of the places are rented from september to june to teachers and summer. You can earn nearly the double from renting your flat on summe than you will earn if you rent it as a long term. The only solution that I see here is regulation, but that won´t happen. It won´t happen because it´s too beneficial to the people with money. The main difference between here and the rest of Europe is that in the rest of Europe there are A LOT and I mean A LOT of public property for rent. And those prices are regulated. Here, the public rental is nearly testimonial. There are very few social housing. In the rest of Europe the prices are cheaper because they have to compete with public and cheaper prices. Sorry for the wall text and I apologize for any mistakes that I have made here. English is not my mother language

I would never go where not welcome Spain is clearly off the bucket list