Nan Palmero heard a “rumble” wedding outside at a rehearsal dinner in Mexico City's stylish Roma Norte community.
From the second story of the restaurant, Palmero describes a large group of people moving along the street, some holding placards and shouting “Green’s vacation.”
He later learned that protesters smashed restaurant windows and damaged vehicles, including his friend's wedding planner's new car – local residents – he said.
“They destroyed her car, smashed a window, ripped off the mirror, sprayed the sides of it. It was really annoying,” he said.
Palmero, an avid traveler from San Antonio, Texas, said he heard a large number of digital nomads and foreign tourists pouring into some of the city’s most popular neighborhoods.
But he didn't know that residents were organizing demonstrations, like the ones he had read in Barcelona and other parts of Europe.
“People … want to experience these beautiful and wonderful cultures around the world. We influence the things we try to experience in negative ways,” he said.
Protests are rising
Bernadett Papp, senior researcher at the Dutch European Institute of Tourism Futures, said the frequency and scale of protests against tourists increased – residents had no footage of the city during the pandemic, and their tourism industry returned to pre-pandemic or above pre-pandemic levels.
She said residents often choose to protest rather than other forms of lobbying because they develop public awareness, which leads to media coverage and social pressure to get the government to take action. She said this happened in Barcelona, while other forms of social pressure have raised the tourism industry on Amsterdam's policy agenda.
Graffiti on the walls of Mexico. In Mexico, “Gringo” is commonly used to refer to foreigners, especially foreigners from the United States.
Source: Ernest Osuna
Locals protested, too, because they didn't know who to turn to. “Tourism public policy is highly fragmented, which makes it difficult for residents to determine the appropriate decision makers to interact with,” Papu said. “This is often exacerbated by frustration and loss of confidence in the government due to being perceived as inaction.”
Why tourists become targets
Tatyana Tsukanova, a visiting professor and researcher at EHL Hospitality Business School, said residents’ reactions tend to develop with exaggeration.
“They can tolerate it at first, and then Voice attention, sometimes becomes confrontation, and ultimately find ways to adapt and push For constructive changes, she said. Along this road, tourists often become scapegoats. ”
A man duck and a woman covered his ears when protesters interrupted their meals in Barcelona on July 6, 2024.
Joseph Lago | AFP | Getty Images
In July 2024, protesters in Barcelona, Spain threw objects, sprayed travelers with water guns and canned drinks, and used police-style tape to block the hotel's entrance and sidewalk cafe. The crowd was very informative: “Tourists come home.”
Barcelona and Mallorca, Spain, saw the return of water gun protesters in June, while demonstrations were held in other areas in Spain, Venice, Italy and Lisbon, Portugal, according to the Associated Press. It said protesters in Barcelona opened firecrackers and opened a can of pink smoke.
Tsukanova said travelers may be a visible factor, but policy gaps are at the root of the problem.
Confrontation as a strategy
Tsukanova said research shows that direct confrontation with tourists can make travelers feel unwelcome, leading some to rethink travel.
But the effect is usually short-lived, she said. Tourists increased by 4.1% in the first seven months of 2025, following protests in Spain in 2024, according to its National Institute of Statistics.
A man argued with protesters outside the Barcelona hotel on July 6, 2024.
Paco Freire | SOPA Images | lightrocket | Getty Images
She said the protests could raise awareness of the problems facing residents, which could lead to travelers changing certain behaviors, such as choosing a hotel on short-term rentals.
But there is little evidence of the long-term impact of the protests, Tsukanova said.
Cities that deal with the pressures caused by protests often use interim policies that make sense than meaningful, Papu said.
“In turn, this measure has aggravated social concerns and has exacerbated negative perceptions of tourism,” she said. “It's a cycle.”
Possible solutions
Lionel Saul, a lecturer at EHL Hospitality Business School, said that to prevent “cities that are created “not for life but for tourism”, destinations can reduce short-term rents and impose higher taxes on visitors.
He said that while scholars are developing the idea of “regeneration travel”, a form of tourism that helps locals rather than hinders, cities should include tourism developments in local communities.
Doug Lansky, a travel writer and frequent spokesperson for tourism development, agreed that local voices are often missing due to critical discussions, which hurts the destination in the long run.
“If these residents have a seat on the table – any table – they feel like they hear the sound locally, then they don't have to parade the streets,” he said.
Lansky is a champion of the “hosting tourism industry”, citing restrictions on attractions, visitor caps and restrictions, but has not eliminated the short-term rental market.
He said that this trade-off is less than the chance in the past.
“It’s not that interesting… [but] He said you won't waste your day. This will benefit everyone. ”
Clarification: This article has been updated to clarify that social pressure has raised the tourism industry on Amsterdam's policy agenda.