Graffiti scrawled across walls telling tourists to go home, sunseekers on the beach surrounded by placard-carrying locals, water pistols squirted at visitors trying to enjoy lunch – protests against mass tourism have ramped up across Europe in recent years.
But in the face of chaotic scenes from the continent, Britons are ignoring the sign-waving protesters begging visitors to stay away, with no tangible effect on Britons’ holiday plans, according to a new report.
ABTA, which represents British travel agents and tour operators, found in its latest ‘Holiday Habits’ report that more than three quarters of people are aware of the tourism backlash but concluded there has been no indication of a ‘sizable change’ in travel intentions.
‘People may be aware about the tourism protests, and some are raising questions with their travel agent, but it’s not stopping them from travelling to their much-loved destinations,’ Mark Tanzer, chief executive of ABTA told the Daily Mail at his firm’s annual conference in Mallorca – an island that derives almost half of its GDP from tourism but has been a flashpoint in the anti-tourism movement.
‘It is really important that as a whole industry we look at the issues local people are raising around overtourism, but that we also make it really clear the message isn’t ‘don’t visit’,’ added Mr Tanzer
‘Tourists are still welcome and needed – local people themselves will tell you how important tourism is for their livelihoods.’
Spain, for example, has seen the strongest backlash against tourism, with demonstrators taking to the streets in the mainland cities and the popular island destinations.
Demands range from limits on cruise ships to changing the rules around holiday homes.
Graffiti scrawled across walls telling tourists to go home, sunseekers on the beach surrounded by placard-carrying locals, water pistols squirted at visitors trying to enjoy lunch – protests against mass tourism have ramped up across Europe in recent years. Pictured: Protests in Tenerife in May
This is despite international arrivals contributing more than €126 billion in revenue to the Spanish economy.
While the data shows holidaymakers have sympathy with local people and destinations – 58 per cent of respondents said they are ‘concerned’ with how locals are impacted by travel – the southern European nation is still the go-to getaway for Brits.
And Manuel Butler, director at the Spanish Tourist Office in the UK, said: ‘We will continue to welcome all British holidaymakers with open arms wherever and however they choose to holiday.’
ABTA’s research shows that almost a third (32 per cent) of those who went abroad in the last year went to Spain.
Between January and August 2025, some 13 million UK visitors went to the Iberian country – a 4.3 per cent rise on the same period in 2024.
Speaking in the Balearic island earlier this week, Spain’s secretary of state for tourism Rosario Sánchez Grau labelled the UK the country’s ‘most important source market’.
There’s no change between the last two years on the other most-popular destinations, with France, Italy, the USA and Greece rounding out the top five.
As wallets are squeezed, Britons are continuing to sacrifice other expenditure to ensure they can afford their holiday.
But in the face of chaotic scenes from the continent, Britons are ignoring the sign-waving protesters begging visitors to stay away, with no tangible effect on Britons’ holiday plans, according to a new report. Pictured: Protesters in Spain last year
Only 28 per cent said they would cut back spending on their breaks to cover the day-to-day cost of living – down from 32 per cent in 2024.
People are nearly twice as likely to reduce spend on eating out than on their holidays.
But of those who did travel over the last year, and are planning to travel in the next 12 months, 34 per cent admit they plan to spend more, with almost four in 10 stating that the cost of holidays are rising.
‘Value for money remains at the forefront of people’s minds’ said Mr Tanzer.
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Why Brits are ignoring overtourism protests and still holidaying more than ever
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