Brit holidaymakers warned as Spanish protests against Airbnb tourism see 150,000 take to streets

Madrid and Barcelona saw large over-tourism protests this weekend, as the booming Airbnb market continues to force up rental prices across Spain and spark anger towards the booming tourism industry

Thousands poured onto the streets of Spain's capital, Madrid, on Sunday, protesting the disastrous effect that over-tourism and booking sites like Airbnb have had on communities across the city and wider country. Many of the angry residents held signs that read "housing is a right, not a business," while others called for a strike against predatory landlords.

The protest signalled that the Spanish government's efforts to quell the anger and fury of millions of citizens being priced out of their homes by the mass influx of Airbnb short-term rentals, with new laws and tourism levies, has done little to appease residents. Organisers said a whopping 150,000 people had attended the large protest, while local police said the crowd numbered roughly 22,000 protestors.

In one of the country's focal points for tourism, Barcelona, a similar protest erupted on Sunday, with beleaguered locals marching through the city after its officials decided to host the Americas Cup yacht race, which furious residents said would bring more tourists to the already overcrowded city - which sees more than 12 million people visit every year.

These fresh protests follow a rising tide of anger in the country, which has for many years been Britain's favourite destination for a bit of sun, sea, and sand. Following a massive increase in the number of tourists following the pandemic, many towns and cities across the country have developed a housing crisis, as an ever-increasing proportion of homes are swallowed up by the holiday rental market.

This housing shortage has pushed up the rental price in many areas, with locals competing with holidaying tourists for somewhere to stay, DW reports. Speaking at the Madrid protest, Marta Morales, 30, said: "What cannot happen is that prices are as they are. If to get them down we have to go on strike, I think it is understandable and we are all in this."

Many of the protesters were young people and students, both of whom are disproportionately affected by the boom in short-term lets - and many were calling for the Minister of Housing, Isabel Rodriguez, to step down.

According to campaigners, half of a Madrid worker's annual salary now goes towards paying their rent, which has become increasingly difficult due to wage stagnation for poorer workers and typically under-employed young people.