Planning a vacation? Here’s all the places that the locals don’t want you

Barcelona, one of Spain’s most beloved cities, made international headlines this week when a group of demonstrators sprayed tourists with water guns.

The demonstrators chanted, “Tourists go home” and “Barcelona is not for sale” as they marched through the streets, protesting against the soaring cost of living and housing prices they attribute to overtourism in their city.

The capital of Catalonia isn’t the only place seeing demonstrations against overtourism.

This year, a record-breaking 4.7 billion people are expected to travel around the globe. This likely means unprecedented rates of tourists flooding into cities across the world — which can, in some cases, devastate local communities. Overtourism can increase housing prices for residents, contribute to gentrification, pollute the local environment and damage historical sites.

Here are seven cities where residents are telling tourists to stay away and urging their lawmakers to crack down on overtourism:

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam officials have long advocated against tourists planning wild nights out in their city.

Last year, the city launched an advertising campaign targeting young British men looking for a drunken evening, the BBC reports. The “Stay Away” campaign warns against dangerous behavior, emphasizing the lasting consequences of a criminal record.

“Coming to Amsterdam for a messy night + getting trashed = €140 fine + criminal record = fewer prospects,” one advertisement reads, the text overlaid on a video of a man being arrested.

“So, coming to Amsterdam for a messy night? Stay away.”

Hundreds of residents also gathered earlier this year to protest overtourism in their city. Amsterdam saw some 12 million tourists in 2023 and expects more this year.

Hawai’i, United States

Hawaiian residents have long advocated against overtourism on their islands — for a range of reasons, including the destruction of local environments, frustrations about colonialism, and tourism relying on the cultural appropriation of Native Hawaiians.

Earlier this…