Tensions have risen between rivals in the tourism industry amid protests against overcrowding, rising housing costs and bad behaviour by tourists in some holiday hotspots across Europe.
In the immediate aftermath of coordinated anti-tourism protests across Spain, Italy and Portugal on 15 June, the fault lines within Europe’s tourism sector have become stark.
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The unprecedented wave of public backlash — with protestors in Barcelona squirt‑gunning tourists and shouting “Tourists go home” — underscores mounting public frustration with overcrowding, soaring rents and unruly visitor conduct.
Amid the uproar, two tourism giants have sparred publicly over the root causes of the crisis: Airbnb and Tui.
Airbnb: “Hotels are driving overtourism”
In a pre‑planned statement issued days before the protests, Airbnb’s VP of public policy Theo Yedinsky, echoed by CEO Brian Chesky, declared that hotels—not short‑term rentals—were responsible for the surge in overcrowding.
The company cited Eurostat data claiming hotels accounted for approximately 63–80% of guest nights in the EU during 2023–24.
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By GlobalDataAirbnb warned that cities focusing on banning holiday rentals may inadvertently worsen pressure, funneling tourists into already‑packed hotels in city centres, driving up both housing and hotel prices.
Chesky labelled Airbnb a “convenient scapegoat” while stressing that the deeper crisis stems from insufficient housing construction across Europe—citing a 60% rise in Barcelona housing costs over the past decade, despite a decline in Airbnb listings.
Tui: “Short‑term lets are the real culprits”
Tui, Europe’s largest travel operator, swiftly counter‑attacked.
Its policy director Alexander Panczuk challenged Airbnb’s narrative, stating demand-side issues, especially the rise in short‑term lets and secondary homes, are the primary drivers of the housing squeeze and cost-of-living spikes.
He emphasized that Tui’s hotel operations are largely based in areas not at the heart of these protests, arguing that policymakers are targeting easy enemies rather than addressing the full scope of the problem.
Protests spotlight deeper structural issues
The protests themselves have made a vivid statement: in cities like Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca, locals wielded water pistols and distributed “tourist go home” stickers as calls for meaningful regulation grew louder.
Activists from tourism‑degrowth campaigns across Europe—ranging from Genoa to Lisbon—argued that unchecked tourism inflates housing costs, depletes public services, damages the environment, and erodes community life.
Despite regulations already in motion—Spain has ordered Airbnb to delist nearly 66,000 properties, and Barcelona plans to phase out short‑term rentals by 2028—the protests reveal the inadequacy of current measures.
Who’s right?
- Airbnb’s claim that hotels account for the majority of nights is backed by Eurostat and UNWTO data, with 3 billion hotel guest-nights in 2024 and hotels covering some 75% of growth in major EU cities.
- However, analysts and local officials emphasize short‑term rentals’ concentrated impact in central neighbourhoods, fuelling rent inflation, nuisances, and community displacement.
- Spain’s housing data documents a 25–49% spike in tourist rentals over the past two years, even as hotel room growth remained single-digit—suggesting STRs are expanding more aggressively.
What’s next
With activist pressure intensifying and high-profile brands embroiled in blame games, policymakers are navigating a thorny path:
- Comprehensive data-led reforms are now imperative to distinguish between the effects of hotels, short‑term lets, cruise tourism, and urban housing demand.
- Balanced policy tools—from tourist caps to housing development incentives—are likely to emerge, targeting capacity rather than targeting a single industry.
- Meanwhile, Airbnb and Tui’s rivalry is likely to escalate, as both elemental players in Europe’s tourism economy vie for regulatory favour and public legitimacy.
As Europe grapples with the fallout from the 15 June protests, one thing is clear: the days of tourism as an untroubled economic gain are over.
Whichever industry takes responsibility—and whichever city designs the smarter fixes—will likely shape the future of tourism and urban life in Europe.
