Spanish protests could spread over Europe, warns Unesco official

Surging visitor numbers, soaring house prices and armies of selfieseeking tourists have created situations that are "totally out of balance", a Unesco official has said, adding that a failure to address these issues could lead to Spain's protests against mass tourism spreading across Europe.

- Ashifa Kassam

In recent weeks, tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in Spain's most popular destinations, calling for curbs on mass tourism and a rethink of a business model they say has pushed up housing prices and driven local people out of cities.

From Málaga to Mallorca and Gran Canaria to Granada, organisers have stressed that the protests are not against tourism per se, but rather a call for a more balanced approach.

It is a sentiment echoed by Peter DeBrine, Unesco's senior project officer for sustainable tourism. "What we're seeing is that we're breaching a threshold of tolerance in these destinations," he said. "It's really trying to rebalance the situation. It's totally out of balance now." He pointed to a myriad of factors to explain why people in Spain - long one of the world's most popular tourist destinations - were now leading the protests against tourism. Chief among them was the housing crisis, he said, describing it as the "straw that breaks the camel's back".

Tourism has exacerbated existing concerns about the affordability of housing, as the increase in short-term accommodation squeezes local people out of the market. "I think that added a lot of anxiety and frustration for people who are living in these destinations," said DeBrine.