A trend started last April in Spain. With the protests that took place in Canary Islands on 20th April against the tourism model of the Islands, other parts of the Spanish territory joined in. In Andalusia or in Balearic Islands, a certain sector of the population also protested against the way tourism is developed in their area.
Now, a place outside of Spain is replicating what happened in the Islands. The population of Athens has started to make graffiti against tourism. Amid protests against the way tourism is developed in the country, many people from the capital of Greece have protested with the aim of stopping excessive tourism.
The movement has started in the same way as in the Canary Islands. Through graffiti, this trend against mass tourism has started to take shape. In the Canary Islands, despite the graffiti, the mobilisation is not against tourism, the primary economic driver of the Archipelago, but against the tourism model, focused on all-inclusive resorts that do not benefit the overall population of the Canaries.
Radical Messages
[–>[–>
Some graffiti in Athens, the Hellenic capital, has become radical. “Tourists go home! The Greek state is killing!” or “No tourists, no hipsters”. Inside Daily Mail, there is a gallery showing different graffiti in various areas of the city.
Athens is going through tense times. The overpopulation of the Greek capital has led to a rise in housing prices, similar to what is happening in a large part of Spain with the holiday home boom.
Greeks are struggling to afford a roof over their heads. According to 2022 data, Greece is the third country in the European Union with the highest number of people in poverty or social exclusion, at 26.3% of its population, while Spain is fourth with 26%.
British Tourism under Scrutiny
[–>
International media point to the general discontent among the Greek population with British tourism. The reputation of this tourism, heavily tied to all-inclusive packages and disconnection, is unpopular in many sectors of society.
[–>
On social media, there are testimonies regarding British tourism in the Canary Islands.
