Hotspots in Spain are becoming increasingly hostile towards holidaymakers and now the cruise industry has said it may be forced to change its itineraries
Holidaymakers and bar owners are sprayed with water in Barcelona as protests against over-tourism took place
Major travel firms may boycott Spanish holiday destinations due to the rising ‘tourists go home’ protests. Angry locals have been organising marches, posting anti-holidaymaker signs and even squirting water pistols at people in cafes and restaurants in Spain and its islands in a series of confrontations.
In light of these events, cruise lines suggested they could alter their routes in favour of more “tourist-friendly” locations. Marie Caroline Laurent, European director of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), said during her visit to Madrid on Tuesday 16 July: “Tourism-phobia is not only a problem in Spain, but also in France and other Mediterranean countries, but visitors are increasingly sensitive and the scenes that have been seen in places like Barcelona have an impact on the reputation of the destination.”
The Barcelona protests saw holidaymakers eating in cafes pelted with debris and sprayed with water with marchers carrying ‘tourists go home’ placards earlier this month. Demonstrations have also included blockading beaches in Majorca.
Marie-Caroline gave examples from France where small groups of people attacked passengers, causing cruise companies to immediately suspend their activities in those areas. She said: “We should not underestimate that there is a direct impact of riots or some of the demonstrations, but especially those that are violent.”
An anti-tourism placard is seen at the centre of the demonstration in Barcelona(Getty)
Alfredo Serrano, the general director of CLIA Spain, highlighted the need for infrastructure developments and tourism promotion to boost the appeal of tourist hotspots. He affirmed: “The companies are already making efforts by scheduling cruises in places in Spain such as La Coruna, Alicante, Almeria, Cadiz, Bilbao, Cartagena, Ceuta, Balearics and Ferrol.”
The cruise industry is eyeing up new destinations where tourists are welcomed with ‘open arms’, as they continue to expand their fleet. Alfredo Serrano highlighted countries like Saudi Arabia and others in the region that are making “millionaire investments” to boost their tourism sector.
A line of regional police officers seen protecting the terrace of a restaurant in Barcelona from protesters earlier this month. More than 3,000 people demonstrated against the tourist overcrowding(Getty)
He warned that difficult dialogues with city councils, such as Barcelona, could lead to cancellations and tourist dissatisfaction. This was explained during a press conference where they urged authorities to stop “demonising” tourism and instead regulate it better to address protestors’ demands.
Spain ranks as the fourth largest outbound market in Europe and the ninth largest globally for cruise passengers. Peter Debrine from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) warned this week that protests in Spain could escalate if European officials don’t address the negative impact of mass tourism on residents. He said: “It’s turning into a very volatile situation. Civil society coming and trying to make change is very important, because at the end of the day, these are elected officials, so they have to respond to what the residents of their cities want.”
Source link : https://www.mirror.co.uk/travel/europe/spain-faces-potential-holiday-boycott-33265178.amp
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Publish date : 2024-07-17 08:40:00
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