Europe Faces Record Overtourism Crisis
Europe hosted 793 million international tourists in 2025, an increase of nearly 60 million from the previous year, with Barcelona's Sagrada Família alone receiving 4.8 million visitors. The tourism boom is straining city infrastructure, raising living costs, and provoking local backlash in destinations like Barcelona and Venice.
- The surge in tourism is partly fueled by European budget airlines, which can offer fares 50-70% lower than traditional carriers, and the "Ryanair Effect," which turns lesser-known locations into popular destinations. - In response to protests, some cities are enacting strict new regulations; the island of Capri, for instance, has capped tour groups at 40 people, banned the use of loudspeakers by guides, and forbidden the use of flags and umbrellas to identify groups of more than 20. - Housing affordability has become a central issue in anti-tourism protests; in Lisbon's Santa Maria Maior neighborhood, 70% of the housing stock is now licensed for short-term tourist accommodation, displacing local residents and businesses. - Activist tactics have escalated in some areas, with protestors in Majorca stopping tour buses and demonstrators in Barcelona using water guns as a symbol of their frustration. - To combat the housing crisis, Barcelona's government has announced plans to eliminate all 10,000 of the city's licensed short-term tourist rentals by the year 2028. - Travel to Europe will soon involve new procedures; the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES), requiring fingerprints and photos, begins its rollout in late 2025, which may lead to longer queues at borders. - An additional requirement, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), will come into effect in the last quarter of 2026, mandating that visitors from visa-exempt countries obtain a €20 travel authorization before their trip.
