UN: Protests against tourism in Spain may spread to the region

The Chief Officer of the Sustainable Tourism Project at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO has warned that protests against mass tourism that have hit Spain recently could spread throughout the region.

Quoted by the British newspaper The Guardian, the Chief Officer of the Sustainable Tourism Project, Peter DeBrine, said: "What we are seeing is that the threshold of tolerance has been crossed in these areas; it is actually a situation of trying to restore the equation of the situation. The equation is now completely fragmented."

Last July, Reuters quoted local police as saying that an anti-tourism protest in Palma de Mallorca, Spain was attended by nearly 10,000 people, with one of the protesters telling the news agency that people wanted fewer tourists. citing the high prices and problems of public services faced by the inhabitants of the island.

In another demonstration in July, anti-tourism protesters in Barcelona sprayed visitors with water cannons and held signs that read "Tourists go back to your homes" and "You are not welcome."

DeBrine said, the actions witnessed "crossed the line and are unnecessary," but he emphasized that "they will not go away until there is some action." The United Nations official has called for a change in attitude, where decision-makers will begin to take measures to improve the lives of local residents, while warning that there is a possibility that the protests will spread outside of Spain.../