Italy, Portugal join tourism protest

Cities in Italy and Portugal have joined Spain's anti-tourist movement for a weekend of protests against what they see as the prioritization of the tourist economy over the lives of locals.

In the northern Italian port city of Genoa, a cardboard cruise ship was carried through the narrow streets of the old town to represent how tourism does not fit. In the Portuguese capital Lisbon, a statue of the country's patron Saint Anthony was to be carried from his church to a hotel site, to show how everyone and everything is being pushed aside.

These events come in addition to rallies in the Spanish cities of Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca in the Balearic Islands. Overtourism has long been a major issue in Spain, where the short-term renting out of properties to tourists, rather than to locals needing homes, has been accused of helping cause a major housing crisis.

"People who go on vacation to one place or another are not our enemies, nor are they the target of our actions," said Asier Basurto, a member of what is described as a tourism degrowth organization planning a march in the northern Spanish city of San Sebastian.

"Let me be clear: our enemies are those who speculate on housing, who exploit workers and those who are profiting handsomely from the touristification of our cities."

Maria Cardona, who was going to take part in a march on the Spanish island of Ibiza, said it was heartening to see how much groups in different countries had in common, despite the distance between them.

"We're under (water use) restrictions, there's a drought, they've cut off all the public fountains," she explained. "But villas, hotels and luxury homes continue to fill their pools as if there were no water restrictions."

She also highlighted the changing of names of places and establishments, often to foreign languages, to make them more tourist-friendly, with no thought for local identity.

According to data from the European Tourism Commission, international tourist arrivals to Europe rose 4.9 percent in the first quarter of this year, compared to the same period a year ago. And that is before the peak tourism season has begun.

"We're asking for a moratorium to put a limit on the number of tourists who can come, and then to manage the airports so that they reduce the number of flights that arrive," said Pere Joan Femenia, a spokesperson for Mallorca campaign group Menys Turisme, Mes Vida, which translates as Less Tourism, More Life.

The Italian city of Venice has long been a victim of its own popularity, with more beds available for tourists than for residents.

"One of the main businesses that keeps opening up in Venice, in addition to bars and restaurants, is ATMs, which is also, in a sense, a metaphor of what is going on," said Remi Wacogne, from local housing organization Ocio.

"Venice is basically an ATM for a very restricted group of people, firms and investors who are allowed to make money just out of renting the place out to people."