Protesters in Spain on overtourism left red faced as bookings increase | World | News
Spanish protests against overtourism appear to have failed after a surge in British travellers heading to the Balearic Islands.
A surge of protests has been seen in places such as Majorca against what they say are the negative impacts of overtourism.
Just recently, thousands of people poured onto the streets of Madrid protesting against overtourism, targeting their frustrations at booking sites like Airbnb.
Organisers of the protest stated that around 150,000 people had attended, with local police stating the crowd numbered roughly 22,000 protestors.
Yet despite the hostile attitude of some Spanish people, many UK tourists have chosen this European Union hotspot for a getaway in a late decision, according to data from TravelgateX, a booking platform.
According to the data, there was a 27 percent increase in holiday bookings to the Balearic Islands compared to the same period in 2023.
This latest data reveals that despite fewer bookings for Brits to regions including Majorca, Ibiza, and Menorca at the start of the season, there has been a surge in the last week as many make the most of sunnier climates as half-term is set to kick off.
TravelgateX data showed that the Balearic Islands ranked sixth in terms of overall Spanish bookings from October 7 to October 13.
Around 20 percent of all bookings by Brits to Spain were made in the last 90 days.
It revealed that between 15 and 30 days before travel, 16 per cent of bookings were made, indicating slight trepidation from Brits prior to booking, with moderate planning among tourists being evident.
The data also revealed places like Catalonia, which saw a 20 percent increase in bookings; Andalusia, which saw 16 percent; the Canary Islands, which saw 15 percent; Madrid, which saw 13 percent; and Valencia, which saw 10 percent.
When it came to the type of tourists making these bookings, data revealed 49.5 per cent were made by couples, with two to five-night getaways being the most popular.
Among the main nationalities opting for domestic travel during the last seven days, TravelgateX revealed 54 per cent were made by Spaniards, with Brits accounting for 18 per cent.
Previous summer bookings saw the Balearic Islands, Barcelona and Madrid topping the ranking of Spanish destinations with the most hotel bookings.
International tourists spent a whopping £59.2 billion (€71.108 billion) in the first seven months of 2024, an 18.6 percent increase compared to the previous year.
During that same period, roughly 52.4 million tourists visited Spain, accounting for a 12 percent increase compared to 2023.
