The warning comes from the Fodors ‘Not List’ for 2025, which has highlighted areas across Spain and its islands as potential trouble spots in the coming year
UK holidaymakers have been advised to steer clear of certain parts of Spain in 2025.
The warning comes from the Fodors ‘Not List’ for 2025, which has highlighted areas across Spain and its islands as potential trouble spots in the coming year. It comes after overtourism protests in the country have disrupted holidays and led some to questions whether they should travel to the sundrenched nation.
“This summer, tensions boiled over as protests erupted across the continent. In Spain, Barcelona locals sprayed unsuspecting visitors with water pistols while tens of thousands gathered on beaches in Mallorca and the Canary Islands holding signs that read: ‘Your luxury, our misery’ and ‘The Canaries have a limit,’ Fodors writes.
“It’s a jarring change; many of these destinations have been aggressively marketing to visitors for years and have reaped the economic advantages. The Canary Islands, where the tourism industry makes up 35% of the GDP, generated €16.9 billion ($17.8 billion) in 2023. That same year, Barcelona tourists spent €9.6 billion ($10.2 billion) in the city, an increase of 26.1% compared with 2022. However, exponentially growing tourism has proven to be shortsighted.”
The site advised for a little extra thought when considering travelling to popular tourist destinations such as Majorca, Lanzarote, Tenerife and Barcelona. While Fodors does not call for people to avoid countries altogether, it publishes its Not List each year in a bid to encourage more considerate tourism which doesn’t frustrate locals.
“In virtually all of Europe’s most popular destinations, the cost of housing–and therefore the cost of living in general–has become untenable for locals. It’s estimated that 60% of dwellings in Lisbon are now vacation accommodations, reducing the inventory of long-term rental units and driving up costs,” the articles continues. Since 2013, 30% of the population of Lisbon has left the city.
Despite the issues last year, Spain saw a record 21.8 million international visitors this summer, according to official data, even as anti-tourism protests were taking place across the country. The figure represents a 7.3% increase from 2023, as reported by the national statistics institute (INE). Spain, being the world’s second most popular tourist destination after France, welcomed 10.9 million visitors in July and an equal number in August, according to INE data.
The tourism minister, Jordi Hereu, hailed the impact of tourism as “a great success for the wellbeing, social cohesion and economic development of Spain” at a Turespaña event in Tenerife. However, he emphasised that Spain must transform its model for the sector.
Areas such as Tenerife and Majora have been focal points for protesters over the past year, with rent for locals in the holiday hotspots reaching unaffordable levels for many as growing numbers of holiday lets push the prices up.