Anti- demonstrations set to take place in cities across Europe this weekend could cause disruption to UK visitors. The protests, which are part of a co-ordinated call for action against the trend, will take place in holiday hotspots across Spain, Portugal and Italy on Sunday, June 15. The network of local action, under the umbrella of the Southern Europe Network Against Touristification, will be the latest in a series of demonstrations in cities including Majorca and Tenerife against the negative impacts of high visitor numbers, including housing shortages and high .

As well as treading familiar ground, the protests are expected to spread across the continent to Greece and the Netherlands - where areas including Athens and Amsterdam have also been swamped by the number of international holidaymakers. British tourists should keep an eye out for travel disruption linked to the demonstrations, especially as some will reportedly be staged at airports, alongside beaches and city centres.

Among the main cities where protests are expected to be held are Venice, Milan, Lisbon, Barcelona, San Sebastian and the Balearic Islands, where they will kick off at around midday local time.

Daniel Pardo Rivacoba, member of the Assembly of Neighborhoods for Tourism Degrowth, recently told reporters that protestors could repeat controversial water gun tactics used to draw attention by targeting unsuspecting tourists during previous demonstrations.

He told local reporters that water guns had become a "popular symbol of resistance against the plundering of the tourism monoculture" and criticised regional officials for "the prioritisation of tourism above all else".

While the onus is generally placed on regional and local authorities to improve infrastructural and systematic issues that have buckled under overtourism, visiting foreigners have been known to bear the brunt of residents' anger.

Just a few months ago, protestors blocked the view of a coach full of tourists parked near the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and pelted them with water guns while chanting "tourists go home".

Up to 20,000 peaceful demonstrators gathered in anti-tourism demonstrations held in Palma, the capital of Brit-favourite destination Majorca, and Barcelona last summer, many of which were organised by the group Menys Turisme, Més Vida (Less Tourism, More Life).

Pere Joan Femenia, a representative for the group, said: "We're asking for a moratorium to put a limit on the number of tourists who can come, and then to manage the airports so that they reduce the number of flights that arrive."

It comes after the European Travel Commission revealed that the number of international visitors in Europe rose by 4.9% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year.