Three holiday hotspots in Spain named among destinations to avoid in 2025 | World | News

Three major Spanish tourist destinations loved by Brits have been put on a “forbidden” travel list for 2025 that warns of tensions between locals and holidaymakers

Fodor’s Travel’s annual “No List” includes destinations that the website’s tourism experts believe travellers should avoid due to the unsustainable pressures tourism puts on locals and their land.

The goal of the list is to encourage travellers to reexamine the impacts of tourism and consider exploring sustainable travel choices. 

The list includes holiday hotspots from all over the world, such as Bali, Tokyo, and Lisbon, but three Spanish tourist traps stick out. 

Barcelona, Majorca, and the Canary Islands were all named as no go destinations for 2025, months after the eruption of overtourism protests.  

All three destinations were described as “coveted tourist spots which are collapsing under the weight of their own prominence” by Fodor.

In Barcelona, a small group of locals was caught spraying tourists with water pistols during a widely peaceful protest, and in the Canary Islands, people held signs reading “Your luxury, our misery” and “The Canaries have a limit”.

In Majorca, the anti-tourism demonstrations were mainly concentrated in Palma, the island’s capital, as local stood against overcrowding and soaring house prices which they believe have been exacerbated by the rise of Airbnbs.

The issue of tourism in these areas is complicated because they have all cultivated economies that rely heavily on holidaymakers visiting attractions and businesses.

In the Canary Islands, the tourism industry accounts for 35% of its GDP and generated a whopping €16.9 billion (£14 billion) in 2023.

In Barcelona during the same year, tourism generated €9.6 billion (£8 billion) – 26% increase from 2022.

The capital of Catalonia is also struggling to provide locals with homes. Similarly to Majorca, Barcelona currently has over 10,000 licensed holiday rentals across platforms like Airbnb, forcing people out of their own home city.

However, the local government is planning to revoke all short-term rental licenses by 2028 and stamp out unlicensed tourists apartments.

Barcelona previously made the No List in 2020 and 2023, and Majorca was put on it in 2019.