Spain saw a record 94 million visitors in 2024, ten percent more than in 2023, but the news hasn't been entirely welcomed.
Over-tourism has come at a social cost and thousands of people have joined unprecedented protests in tourism hotspots across the country.
Ken Browne reports for CGTN.
#Overtourism #SpainTourism2024 #TourismProtests #SustainableTravel #SpainTourismCrisis
Over-tourism has come at a social cost and thousands of people have joined unprecedented protests in tourism hotspots across the country.
Ken Browne reports for CGTN.
#Overtourism #SpainTourism2024 #TourismProtests #SustainableTravel #SpainTourismCrisis
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NewsTranscript
00:00Que no, que no, que no, que no, que no.
00:03Spain's housing crisis is out of control.
00:06That was the message from protesters on the streets of Madrid towards the end of 2024.
00:11Yes, we are very angry at the situation because all the houses are being transferred to tourism houses, tourism apartments,
00:22and the price is all the time keeping higher and higher and higher and higher.
00:26So we cannot pay our rent or we have to give so much money to our landlord that we don't have enough money to live.
00:35Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez made global headlines when he said action was needed.
00:41We have decided to limit the purchase of homes by non-EU residents.
00:49And we will do it through a tax worth 100% of the price of the property.
01:01But at the Fitur Tourism Fair in Madrid, it's clear not everyone is on board.
01:07Spain has the highest unemployment and among the lowest wages in the European Union.
01:13And this proposal has been met with some serious opposition from some of the powerful regional governments,
01:19including Madrid, which received over 70% of all of the international investment in property last year.
01:26Almost 20 billion dollars.
01:29From the capital to the coast, concerns are being voiced about a tax that the opposition calls xenophobic.
01:36We are strongly against what Pedro Sánchez and the national government is trying to do.
01:42Residential tourism is fundamental for the Valencia region.
01:46For us it's unthinkable that this could become a reality and we're working hard to make sure it never does.
01:55For Spaniards, the tourism dilemma is clear.
01:59Yes, I rely on tourism, certainly, for my salary.
02:03But if with the salary I am earning I am no longer able to buy a basic right,
02:09which is to have a property and a home, then the balance is out of skew.
02:13Spain's shaky government coalition means the 100% tax bill proposal faces an uncertain future.
02:20So those dreaming of a place in the sun can rest easy.
02:24For now, at least.
02:26Ken Brown, CGTN, Madrid.