Latest news with #turistas
Forbes
30-06-2025
- Forbes
5 Iconic South American Bird Species—And Where To Find Them
South America is home to well over 3,000 different bird species. From Medellín to Cusco to Rio de Janeiro, South America is rife with captivating cities that draw huge numbers of visitors each year—but it's not just tourists that can be found during a trip to this sprawling continent. From tiny hummingbirds to fearsome raptors, the avian biodiversity of South America is truly a wonder to behold, with vast swathes of verdant rainforest, open grassland and glacial fjords all playing host to their own unique array of avian species. As you plan your next ecotourism-focused trip to South America, don't miss out on these iconic animals, each one shining a spotlight on the rich biodiversity found from the Darién Gap to Cape Horn. The Andean condor is the national bird of Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and Bolivia. Capable of measuring more than three meters in wingspan, the Andean condor serves as the national bird of multiple South American countries thanks to its majestic appearance—and for near-guaranteed sightings, Peru's Colca Canyon is the perfect spot. Located in the southern reaches of the nation, this high-altitude natural feature draws locals and tourists alike thanks to El Cruz del Condor, a popular viewing platform that offers spectacular vistas of the surrounding landscapes as well as potential appearances by the local condors. Visitors are recommended to arrive early, with optimal viewing conditions taking place between 8:00 AM and 11:00 AM, and to sweeten the deal, the region is also brimming with other Peruvian avifauna including the oasis hummingbird, mountain parakeet and cactus canastero. Newly-hatched hoatzins are equipped with claws on their wings, which is a trait shared by no other ... More extant bird species. An evolutionary oddity within the bird world, the hoatzin possesses a wide range of unique traits including a fermentation-focused digestive system that's similar to those seen in cows and goats. The creatures have a particularly wide range across South America, but for a deep dive on the rich array of native species that call the Amazon basin home, it's tough to beat Parque Nacional Yasuní. Operating in the easternmost reaches of Ecuador, this lush reserve is renowned for its incredibly high level of biodiversity, with well over 500 bird species residing within its boundaries. While hoatzins are a particular highlight, the region also plays host to eye-catching species like the scarlet macaw and spangled cotinga, while resident mammals range from the pygmy marmoset to the giant river otter. While Magellanic penguins breed in Patagonia, vagrants have been found as far away as Australia. While Antarctica might be the world's foremost destination for penguin-watching, Chile serves as an ideal alternative thanks to its high concentration of Magellanic penguins, a species that thrives along the shores of Patagonia. For best results, Chile visitors can plan a trip to Punta Arenas—a scenic port city in the country's southernmost region—and set off on a day trip with Solo Expediciones, a local company that's perfected the art of penguin tourism. After a 40-minute boat ride, guests will arrive at the picturesque Isla Magdalena to spend an hour trekking along its many walking paths, with hundreds of resident penguins found sunning themselves on the hills. The greater rhea is one of the earth's few extant ratites, a type of bird that's known for their ... More lack of a keel bone. Though not particularly vibrant in appearance, the greater rhea draws intrigue due to its large size and inability to fly, occupying a similar ecological niche as Australia's emu or Africa's ostrich. The birds can be encountered all across Argentina's sprawling grasslands, but for a deep dive into both the land-based and marine biodiversity of the nation, it's tough to find a better destination than Parque Nacional Monte León. Measuring in at more than 600 square kilometers, this pristine preserve is brimming with greater rheas as well as iconic mammals like the guanaco and puma, all while southern right whales can be spotted from the safety of shore from July to November. While Andean cocks-of-the-rock typically feed on fruit, they're also known to occasionally eat ... More insects and reptiles. The colorful plumage of the Andean cock-of-the-rock has earned it megatick status with South American birdwatchers, and while the species' native range spans from western Venezuela into the interior of Bolivia, the Colombian department of Antioquia is a particularly popular viewing destination thanks to La Reserva Natural Jardín de Roca. Established years ago in the Colombian heritage town of Jardín, this verdant preserve provides plenty of opportunities to witness male Andean cocks-of-the-rock as they congregate around their dedicated lek, a patch of land that's reserved for mating displays—and while Andean cocks-of-the-rock are certainly the main attraction here, the surrounding region is also rife with eye-catching Colombian species like the purple-crowned fairy and Andean motmot.
Washington Post
19-06-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Spanish court rejects Airbnb appeal and keeps order to block nearly 66,000 listings
MADRID — A Spanish court on Thursday rejected an appeal by Airbnb and left in place an order to block almost 66,000 rental listings that the government said violated local rules. The government has said the platform's short-term rentals exacerbate Spain's housing crunch while the country welcomes record numbers of tourists .
The Guardian
18-06-2025
- The Guardian
As anti-tourism protests grow in Europe, we need a rethink – but that's no reason to stop travelling
After coordinated protests across Europe last weekend, it's easy for the ethically conscious tourist to feel uncertain. Across southern Europe – and particularly in Spain, Italy and Portugal – there are headlines blaming visitors for everything from overcrowding to housing shortages. In gentrifying neighbourhoods, slogans such as 'Tourists go home' have appeared on walls and windows, with some angry residents grabbing headlines by squirting water pistols at tourists. Does that mean a golden age of tourism is over? No. Does the complicated relationship between those who want to visit the world's most interesting places and those who live in them need a reset? Probably. For the most part, protesters are calling for a total overhaul of a model of tourism that, they argue, drives up housing costs, harms the environment and creates low-paid, unstable jobs – while concentrating profits in the hands of a few. I've seen this first-hand. I live in Lavapiés, a vibrant and multicultural neighbourhood near Madrid's main train station. When I moved here 12 years ago, the area was a haven of traditional bars and restaurants and independent shops. Today, many of those restaurants – once offering a full menú del día for €8 (£6.80) – have doubled their prices. A recently built Ibis hotel, complete with a digital price board resembling a petrol station display, now advertises fluctuating nightly rates of about €150 to €250. Local businesses have been replaced by ground-floor tourist accommodation, with passersby able to peer straight into capsule bedrooms from the street. Lavapiés has one of the highest concentrations of unlicensed tourist rentals in Madrid. These small flats, originally built in the 18th and 19th centuries to house the city's growing industrial workforce, remained affordable for centuries. Now, thousands of such flats are listed on Airbnb at rates rivalling those in the city's wealthiest neighbourhoods. But tourists aren't choosing these places maliciously – short-term rental platforms offer cheaper, more flexible options for groups, especially in a market where a basic hotel room can easily cost €100 or more a night. This is not just a story of tourists replacing local people; it's one of policy failure and economic imbalance. In Madrid, decent food is often still relatively affordable – but the same can't be said for accommodation. The charming, no-frills guesthouses with lace curtains and wrought-iron balconies are disappearing fast, and the gap they leave behind is being filled by unlicensed rentals in former homes. There are roughly 15,000 illegal tourist apartments in Madrid alone, rising to more than 66,000 across the country. To its credit, Spain's leftwing coalition government has attempted to regulate rents and pledged to build more housing. But these plans, combined with resistance from regional governments, fail to address the immediate impact that tourist rentals have on the availability of affordable homes. In the case of Madrid, the regional government, presided over by the rightwing People's party (PP), has refused to declare 'high-tension areas' in order to allow city councils to limit rent increases as provided for in the new national legislation. Likewise, the PP-dominated Madrid city council recently approved a modification of town planning rules, formally separating tourist accommodation from residential buildings. Although the official line is that this is a step towards protecting housing for local people, it has in reality paved the way for entire buildings to be converted into tourist-only properties and made it easier to transform ground-floor commercial premises into tourist lets. As southern Europe's cities and islands have passed a tipping point, some are calling for an outright ban on tourist flats, starting with those that are unlicensed. That may be necessary, but solving the housing crisis will take more than just tighter regulations and housebuilding – the other half of the equation is addressing the lack of decent, mid-range places for tourists to stay. Spain continues to build hotels, but too many new developments are glitzy four- and five-star projects aimed at luxury travellers. This shortage of modest, comfortable accommodation mirrors the broader shortage of affordable housing for residents. As Europe responds with growing resentment towards tourists, many people are asking: is it even possible to enjoy a trip without contributing to the problem? Can you still visit Madrid, Barcelona or the Canary Islands without encountering the 'Tourists go home' signs – or being squirted with water pistols? Should you? The answer is yes. First, it's important to put the water pistol incidents in perspective: these are symbolic, isolated acts and far from the norm. More importantly, tourism is vital to Spain's economy, accounting for roughly 12% of GDP. The country wants tourists, but that doesn't mean business as usual should continue. National and regional governments, and city councils, must do far more to regulate short-term rentals, support local communities and invest in affordable infrastructure – for residents and visitors. But travellers have an important role to play too: by choosing accommodation designed for tourists wherever possible; by learning about housing pressures in the places they visit; or by exercising judgment about where and when to travel. Opting to visit a resort town on the mainland rather than a city on an island might put less pressure on local communities and resources, for example. Times can be tense, but don't let guilt define your presence as a tourist. Feeling bad for visiting a place only plays into resentment and shifts the focus away from where it belongs: on deficits in housing and tourist accommodation. My advice is no more water pistols: instead, plan and build so countries work for residents and tourists. Leah Pattem is a multimedia journalist based in Spain
Daily Mail
16-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Moment cops form protective shield in front of holidaymakers dining at a Majorca restaurant as they are barracked by anti-tourist protesters
Spanish police officers had to form a protective shield in front of dining holidaymakers being barracked by anti-tourist protestors on Sunday. Powerful images captured in Majorca show officers standing guard while stunned diners watched on at the crowd of chanting demonstrators. It comes after thousands of locals marched across Spanish islands on Sunday afternoon demanding that Brits 'go home' as part of widespread protests against so-called 'over tourism '. A large demonstration in Palma de Mallorca saw fed-up locals banging their drums and chanting slogans as tourists desperately attempted to enjoy their evening meals. Beginning at Plaza de España, in the heart of the tourist city, shortly after 6pm, activists claimed that more than 30,000 people took to the streets to voice their frustrations about the damaging impact of holidaymakers. Placards held up by marchers read: 'Tourists go home', 'Mallorca is not for sale' and 'Mallorca is not your cash cow… go home.' Meanwhile, other signs read: 'Your vacations, our anxiety.' Footage showed Brits left visibly shocked by the demonstrations, while other tourists were seen taking refuge on their accommodation balconies. Dozens of placards at the popular demonstration read 'tourists go home… refugees welcome', while a group of teenagers could be heard chanting 'tourists go home!' as they marched through the city. Children taking part in the protest were seen carrying water pistols, with plans to spray holidaymakers as they pass on by. Protesters were heard chanting slogans against Airbnb and 'guiris' - the Spanish slang term used to describe Brits and other foreigners. One placard read: 'Rich foreign property buyers go to hell', while another said: 'Enough is enough.' Local resident Oriol, 40, told MailOnline: 'I'm protesting because I don't want 80% of my money to go on rent. 'I don't want to be forced to speak only English or German in by apartment block. 'I don't want my friends to have to go to the mainland when they have children just to be able to afford a dignified life, a lot of us are fed up.' Alex, 32, has a masters degree and a well-paying job. He told MailOnline: 'I'm here because I cannot afford to buy my own place, I'm having to live with my parents because the rent is also too much. 'There are also far too many people coming to the island for holiday, our resources cannot cope, there needs to be a limit.' The demonstrations took place in major destinations including Barcelona, Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca, San Sebastian, Granada, Tenerife and Malaga. Other European destinations involved in the action include Venice in Italy and Lisbon in Portugal. The action is designed to 'call attention to the social and environmental costs of overtourism.' The protests have been organised by the Southern Europe Network Against Touristification (SET), and are supported by local activist groups. Many locals living in tourist hotspots in Spain believe the industry's model has become too excessive. They say the numbers of visitors continue to increase year by year, creating an increasing demand on local resources. They also complain that the overwhelming amount of tourist activity is causing environmental pollution, particularly in Tenerife, where natural landscapes are not being properly protected by local authorities, while a surge in pleasure boats and sewage waste are polluting the marine environment, they claim. More importantly, the explosion of Airbnb-style properties has seen property prices surge over the past five to 10 years. In holiday hotspots, landlords are choosing to rent to tourists instead of selling or renting to local families. This is stripping housing supply and making the available stock far more expensive and out of reach for a growing number of locals. The protesters marched for over a kilometre before gathering in Plaza de Reina near to the seafront. A series of activists gave speeches demanding a 'drastic' change in laws regarding the tourism industry - including banning Airbnb style properties from the island. Dozens of officers from the armed National Police force were seen escorting the protesters throughout the march, which ended without incident. In Ibiza, another popular Spanish island for British holidaymakers, similar protests took place demanding reductions to tourism. Around 1,000 protesters took part in the march organised by major anti-tourism platform Canviem el Rumb, which has been carrying out demonstrations in the Spanish holiday hotspot over the last year. Security was stepped up to protect tourists from the demonstrators, who left Portal de Ses Taules in the town centre at around 6pm and ended at Plaza de sa Graduada, in front of the courts at 9pm. Major demonstrations also took place across other cities in Spain, including Barcelona, and San Sebastián, as well as other European cities in Portugal and Italy. The protests aim to keep pressure on governments to address the problems generated by tourism, including rising rents, housing shortages and environmental damage. Canviem el Rumb is campaigning for a reduction in tourism, which it claims is having an adverse effect on Ibiza. 'Although each of them will have their own characteristics, they will all jointly critique mass tourism and luxury tourism,' said Pau Kokura, a member of Canviem el Rumb. The group says tourism is only helping the rich whilst the poor in Ibiza suffer, especially due to the lack of affordable housing. It also argues that there is an overabundance of hotel rooms, making it impossible for residents to afford rentals and therefore remain on the island. Agnès Vidal, another member of the organization, said: 'Mass tourism affects many aspects of our daily lives. This time, we want to highlight five key areas: the first, the right to water, because we have villages that dedicate themselves to irrigating water when the people of the island reduce their consumption. 'The second, the right to have a property in good condition. Third, we demand decent work, because people who work, especially during the summer, do so in terrible conditions in many sectors. Protesters hold a banner reading 'Mallorca is not for sale' during a demonstration to protest against the massification of tourism and housing prices on the island of Mallorca in Palma de Mallorca on May 25, 2024 'We also demand the right to rest, which is often not possible with the mega-clubs. The fifth block is housing. We have more and more people living in substandard housing around Ibiza Town. And that's why we have to find a solution.' Activists believe the current tourism model is 'unsustainable' and pushing the islands toward collapse. They want to limit the number of tourists visiting the islands, ban new hotel construction and introduce a tougher tourist tax, among other measures. But Brits holidaying in Tenerife previously told MailOnline the locals 'should be careful what they wish for.' A poll by Majorca Daily Bulletin found that around 44 per cent of people will now think twice about booking a holiday on the popular island after huge demonstrations over mass tourism. Paul Charles, CEO of travel consultancy The PC Agency warned: 'If this survey is accurate, local protestors should be careful what they wish for. 'The Majorcan (and other local islands) economy relies heavily on tourism to create jobs and bring money into the region. 'It would be a disaster for the area if the protests, however valid, cut off the flow of visitors and reduce income. 'The solution is to work with local authorities on spreading the number of visitors into the shoulder seasons, so there is a flow of tourists throughout the year rather than be concentrated over the summer.' One regular visitor to Tenerife told MailOnline last month echoed the same sentiment. Paul Nixon, 60, from Staffordshire said: 'I think they need to be careful what they wish for, the island is so dependent on tourism. 'I think bookings are down already to be honest, it seems quieter this year.
The Independent
13-06-2025
- The Independent
Thousands to march on streets of Mallorca in overtourism protest this weekend
A Spanish campaign group, which led a large-scale protest against overtourism in Mallorca last year, has announced it will once again take to the streets of Palma to demand 'stop the touristification' of their communities. Menys Turisme Més Vida (Less Tourism, More Life), an organisation which has led mass protests against the increasing number of tourists jetting off to the island each summer, has revealed it will yet again take to the streets to demonstrate this weekend. Protesters are being called to gather in Plaça Espanya, a centrally located square in Mallorca's capital, Palma, at 6pm on Sunday, 15 June. Demonstrators will then march through some of Palma's most notable streets, and have been encouraged to bring whistles, drums, water pistols and sound equipment. 'Or anything else that comes to mind, be original!' the protest information poster said. The group was behind a large anti-tourist protest that filled the streets of Palma de Mallorca last summer, demonstrating against skyrocketing housing prices in the wake of a tourist boom on the popular holiday island. Around 10,000 protesters showed up to take part on 21 July 2024, with people walking carrying models of planes, cruise ships and posters reading 'no to mass tourism' and 'stop private jets'. Mallorca, along with other Spanish destinations, is a popular summer hotspot for tourists seeking hot temperatures, sandy beach resorts and villages tucked away at the foothills of limestone mountains. This year, Menys Turisme Més Vida said it will be holding another protest on 15 June, with 60 other anti-tourism groups, trade unions and environmental organisations taking part. Speaking of the successful turnout of last year's mass protest, it said that it will again be protesting to make it 'clear that our territories are not for sale'. The group has called for limits to be put on tourism and the need for a strategy that will not exploit 'the territory, its resources and the marginalisation of residents and their vital needs for the benefit of tourist capital'. In a statement, the campaigners claimed that the tourist industry impoverishes people, makes it hard to access housing and diverts focus from the public sector. The organisation also draws attention to the environmental impact of overtourism, including pollution and carbon emissions. It called out the tourism sector for describing businesses as sustainable, stating that this is a 'manipulation' of language and a denial of the issues. Areas such as Sóller, Artà and Palma are already being affected by tourists, the campaign group said, saying daily life has become 'unbearable'. 'Entire roads and paths cut off by tourist-sports events, record numbers of cruise passengers, streets, squares and markets saturated with tourists, occupied and commercialised, and the situation of the housing problem increasingly bloody and without solutions,' it said. Menys Turisme Més Vida followed up with a reposted statement on its social media that said while 'Mallorca is not against tourism', it cannot be a 'theme park open 24 hours a day'. 'Of course we want you to come. To get lost in the narrow streets of the old town, to sit by the sea in winter, to taste a freshly made ensaimada or listen to Mallorcan in a market. We want to share all that. But without meaning that we stop being who we are,' it said. The group said it will be standing in solidarity with hospitality workers in negotiations for better working environments during the high season, as there is usually an 'exploitation' of the working class during this period. 'We are taking to the streets again to say 'enough', and we will do it as many times as necessary,' it concluded.
