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Pilgrims Turn Spain’s Santiago De Compostela Into the World’s Latest Overtourism Flashpoint
Santiago de Compostela's housing crisis worsens as short-term rentals cause a 44% rent increase since 2018, sparking resident protests and government restrictions.
- Santiago de Compostela faces overtourism as a record half-million pilgrims trekked the Camino de Santiago last year, overwhelming the city.
- This surge follows a long trend since the 9th century pilgrimage grew increasingly popular, worsening housing shortages and social tensions.
- Between 2000 and 2020, the number of permanent residents in the historic center declined by approximately 50%, as many locals struggled to secure affordable housing amid the rise of short-term rental properties.
- Annual rent prices rose 44% from 2018 to 2023, prompting the city council to ban Airbnb-style tourist rentals in the historic center last November to protect residents.
- The ban aims to limit rental price growth, but residents remain divided while City Hall enforces regulations and combats illegal tourist apartments.
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15 Articles
Associated Press News+13 Reposted by 13 other sources
Pilgrims turn Spain's Santiago de Compostela into the world's latest overtourism flashpoint
Residents of Santiago de Compostela are struggling with overtourism. A neighborhood association has tried to address the issue by distributing a guide to good manners for visitors.
·United States
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While some residents of Barcelona tried to repel a tsunami of tourists with plastic water pistols, an association of neighbors in Santiago de Compostela opted for a more cordial approach: a guide of good manners for visitors to their city, the end point of the most famous pilgrimage in the Catholic world.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources15
Leaning Left3Leaning Right1Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution69% Center
Bias Distribution
- 69% of the sources are Center
69% Center
L 23%
C 69%
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