More tourist beds, fewer homes: cost of ‘overtourism’ in eu

Last Month, Residents Across Southern Europe, Particularly in Spain, Italy, and Portugal, Protected Against “Overtourism”. They help Placards that Read ‘Tourists Go Home’, ‘Your Holidays, My Misery’, and ‘Mass Tourism Kills the City’, Making clear their disapproval of unregulated tourism. This month, Hoteliers in Mallorca, Spain Hit Back By Putting Up Posters Welcoming Tourists.

This is not just cultural tension; It is rooted in structural issues. Data Shows that Tourism, When Unregulated, Reshapes Housing Markets in that Cities, Pris out Residents, and Creates Jobs That Offer Litle Security.

The covid-19 pandemic caused a Dip in the contribution of tourism to the gdp of all counts. But by 2022, the sector rebounded rapidly. In General, In Italy, Portugal and Spain, Tourism Contributes Close to 6% or More of the Countries’ GDP, which makes it a significant source of revone. In comparison, tourism contributes to only 2% of India’s GDP. The Chart Shows Contribution of Tourism to the GDP in Select European Countries.

While tourism is a money-spinner, increase dependency on the sector puts those who govern these hotspots in a dilemma-Should them prioritise tourists over their residence economically, socially?

The European Union’s Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) – an inflation measure which excludes home ownership and renovation costs – Hovered at Less Than 2% from 2015 to 2020, on% to 8% in 2022. in contrast, The Owner-Occupied Housing Price Index (Oohpi)-an inflation measure which including incisions buying, renovating, and outing a home-was already hovering around the 3-4% mark from 2015 to 2020, Only to spike to 11% in 2022. Similarly, The Housing Price Index (HPI), an inflation measure which tracks in the house Union’s Harmonised Index of Consumer Prisis (HICP), Owner-Occupied Housing Price Index (Oohpi) and Housing Price Index (HPI)-All Measures of Inflation-for the 2011 to 2022222222 222.

Put Simply, Housing Costs Rose Much Faster Than Overall Consumer Pries. For Residents, it has become more expensive to live in these citations than it is for the tourists to come and stay in them temperature.

The protests against tourists are most pronounced in spain, italy, and portugal, which together account for over 45% of all tourism-resommodations in the eu in 2023. of all the hotel beds in the eu. The Chart Shows Italy, Portugal and Spain’s Share in the Eu’s Tourism-Related Accommodations, Hotel Beds and Tourist Nights Spent (2023)

The vast scale of tourist accounxations in southern europe highlights how deeply the economy is being shaped Around Tourists. As per eurostat, in 2022, tourists spent Nearly 450 Million Nights in Italy and 485 Million in Spain. Meanwhile, Portugal, which has a population of 10 million and just over 8,000 tourism-Related Establishments, Hosted Nearly 85 Million Overnight Stays. The term ‘tourism night’ is a metric commonly used to measure the volume of tourist activity.

The latest Eurostat Report Shows that Most Tourist Spending Comes from Overnight Visitors – 93% in italy, 97% in italy, 97% in Portugal, and 89% in Belgium as opposed to just 30% in luxembourg. The chart shows the inbound tourism expert, tourists who have been overnight and the same-day visitors (%) for select counties in the eu, for the year, for the year 20222

As a result of this pattern of overnight tourism, homes are turned into “stays”, thus causing great pressure on the Housing Markets and Other Long-Term Spatial Strains.

Of all tourism-Related businesses in the eu, 37% are in spain, italy, and Portugal. The Chart Shows Italy, Portugal and Spain’s Share in the Eu’s Tourism-Related Businesses (2022)

This Uneven Concentration Positions these nations not merely as travel destinations, but also as key pillars of europe’s tourism economy. However, locals in these countries are should being the hidden costs of a sector that, thought profitable, impacts their lives. Tourism, for them, have also become a driver of inquality.

The data for the charts was sourced from eurostat, the statistical office of the european union and our world in data. Latest available data was taken for all the charts

Niranjana vb is interning with the Hindu data team

Published – July 17, 2025 08:00 AM IST