10 European holiday hotspots you will not be wanted in this summer as anti-tourism erupts

Brits jetting off for holidays in Europe may not receive as warm a welcome from locals as they have done in the past. More and more holiday hotspots are getting fed up with crowds of tourists descending on their cities and islands and are now doing something to stop it. 

Angry residents have been taking to the streets across the continent to protest against overtourism, including hundreds of thousands of people across 40 cities in Spain. In Madrid alone, over 150,000 demonstrators marched to demand housing rights, highlighting the severe shortage of affordable housing exacerbated by the booming tourism industry. Revealed below are 10 holiday hotspots that have implemented, or are planning to introduce, restrictions on tourists ahead of the tourist season. 

Spain

Across Spain, various strict measures have been introduced to halt the ever-increasing growth in tourism. In Barcelona, it was announced last year that it will ban apartment rentals to tourists by 2028 as it seeks to get a grip on the spiralling housing crisis. In January, authorities in Malaga imposed a three-year ban on registering new holiday rentals in 43 districts, including El Ejido and La Merced. 

Last April, the city increased its municipal tourist tax to €6.75 (£5.85) per night for guests staying in five-star hotels. This is on top of the general nightly tourist tax, meaning a one-week stay in such accommodations will now cost tourists around £41 on top of general prices. 

In the popular Balearic Islands, it has been proposed to increase tourist taxes by up to 66%, with four and five-star hotel guests potentially seeing charges rise from €4 to €6 (£5.20) per night.

Italy

Venice has become one of the cities most battered by overtourism in recent years. As such, it has introduced tough new measures for the 2025 season. Starting this spring, day-trippers will be charged a €5 (£4.30) fee, while cruise ships are banned from entering the historic centre, as are tour groups above 25 people. 

Meanwhile, Portofino slaps fines of up to £242 on tourists, causing congestion at popular selfie spots. Rome has also implemented strict restriction access measures on the Trevi Fountain and is considering introducing a tourist tax to improve the quality of life for its residents.

Greece

Greece’s cities and islands are renowned for their impressive ancient structures and natural beauty, so it is no wonder that millions flock to the country ever year. Among those most affected are the iconic islands of Santorini and Mykonos, which has proposed regulations to restrict the number of cruise ships. 

The islands will also require visitors to pay a €20 (£17.34) fee during peak seasons. In Athens, the Acropolis has a daily visitor limit of 20,000, with staggered entry times to manage crowds and prevent damage to the site. 

Portugal

The stunning Portuguese city of Sintra is one of the best examples of overtourism in Europe. Described by QStintra, a local group, as a “congested amusement park”, locals are now suffering from heavy traffic and disrespectful visitors who make it impossible to carry out daily tasks. 

This has led to anti-tourism protests and calls for sustainable tourism practices. Over 350 Sintra residents have recently signed a protest against the construction of a new hotel and car park in the town’s historic centre that QSintra called “an attack on the cultural landscape”.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

In the last few years the Dutch city of Amsterdam has implemented several measures to address overtourism. Last April, it prohibited the construction of new new hotels to get a handle on tourist numbers. Now, only new developments are permitted if an existing hotel closes its doors and the number of guest rooms does not increase. 

The iconic canal city has also set a cap of 20 million overnight tourists per year, after the number reached a whopping 20.7 million in 2023. Restrictions have been placed on Airbnb rentals, cruise ships will be entirely banned by 2035, and authorities have mandated the closure of numerous brothels and coffee shops. 

France

French authorities are particularly concerned about the numbers of visitors concentrated in hotspots like Paris, Île-de-Bréhat and Mont-Saint-Michel. In response, Paris has implemented measures to curb illegal short-term rentals, including banning key boxes used for unauthorised accomodations and fines of up to €3,000 for non-compliance. 

In Île-de-Bréhat, a small island off the northern coast of Brittany, a summer tourist quota was imposed last July, limiting the number of visitors between 8:30 am and 2:30 pm to 4,700 per day. 

Meanwhile, Marseille's mayor, Benoît Payan, said: "I'm going to force anyone who wants to use Airbnb to buy another apartment and make it available for long-term tenants,” according to Euronews. "I’ll leverage every legal tool at my disposal as a weapon [...] This will deter them from exploiting Marseille’s residents for profit."

Croatia

Tourist hotspots in Croatia, like Dubrovnik and Split, have implemented on-the-spot fines for “inappropriate” tourist behaviour, such as public drinking. Dubrovnik has also implemented restrictions on cruise ship arrivals, limiting the number of ships allowed to dock each day to two and the total number of passengers they can carry to 8,000.

City authorities in Hvar Town on the island of the same name have also enforced strict noise restrictions throughout the summer, harsher than the nationwide laws, significantly affecting the businesses that operate there. 

Austria

The Austrian town of Hallstatt, rumoured to have been the inspiration for Frozen's Arendelle, has implemented measures including limiting tour buses and cars. A temporary "anti-selfie" fence was even erected, though it was later removed due to backlash.

In Vienna, strict regulations have been enforced on short-term rentals, including limits on the number of days properties can be rented out annually. Homeowners are now only allowed to rent out their individual units for a maximum of 90 days each year.

Malta

The small island nation of Malta is also facing calls for measures to manage overtourism and its negative effects on its residents and environment. This includes calls for a moratorium on new hotel accommodation. 

Malta's infrastructure is struggling to cope with the influx of tourists, particularly during peak season, leading to issues with waste management, water scarcity and traffic congestion. Like elsewhere, a significant number of holiday rentals operate illegally, further exacerbating the pressure on housing and resources. 

Czechia 

Finally, the Czech Republic is taking tough measures to address overtourism, including banning organised pub crawls, stricter regulations on short-term rentals and even limiting the number of visitors to certain areas.

Last October, Deputy Mayor Zdenek Hrib announced that drinking tours organised by tourism companies would be banned from operating between 10pm and 6am. Plans have also been put forward to prohibit extravagant costumes worn by stag and hen party groups.