Italian anti-tourism protesters have attacked holiday property safes in a bid to deter visitors who they say are driving them out of local homes.
Activists calling themselves ‘Robin Hood’ have removed several safes from properties in Rome, denying travelers access to their holiday rentals.
Letters were posted under felt Robin Hood hats on the city’s lampposts, describing the vandalism as “the first” attack on “the rich.”
‘If you are looking for key safes and can’t find them, read this. We are rebelling,’ said a note shared by local media.
“We have removed these key storage boxes to denounce the sale of the city to short-term holidays that alienate locals and leave residents high and dry.”
It comes after a summer of fierce backlash against tourists in Mediterranean hotspots, with locals denouncing what they see as lax regulation on tourist accommodation that has made it harder to find affordable housing.
Robin Hood hats were placed on Rome lampposts with a letter lamenting tourism
Locked boxes, like the one pictured, were torn from the exterior walls of vacation properties.
The rise of rental companies such as Airbnb has caused some owners to stop renting to residents and instead rent rooms or apartments to short-term visitors.
This reduces the overall supply of housing, raising the cost of rent.
Campaigners said rents had risen “exponentially” in recent years.
“This is only our first action against the Holy Year of the rich,” his letters said.
More than 35 million tourists visited Rome last year, making it a record year and an all-time high in attendance.
The previous year, as Rome recovered from the pandemic, some 15 million arrived, and 30 million overnight stays increased by 176 percent compared to 2021.
Next year, Rome and Vatican City will also host their ‘Holy Year’ jubilee, which is expected to attract some 30 million visitors from around the world and put additional pressure on locals.
But some residents worry that keeping tourists away will affect their livelihoods or tarnish their city’s reputation.
Protesters clashed with police in Venice in April over a new imposition of a “tourist tax,” which requires short-stay visitors to pay a 5-euro “entry fee.”
Protesters armed with signs and banners lined the historic canals of the Italian city to show their contempt, and were met by baton-wielding riot police.
Critics argue that the 5 euro (£4.30) fee, initially in place during the summer, is unlikely to significantly affect the around 30 million trips made to Venice each year.
People clash with police as they protest against the introduction of the tourist and registration fee in Venice, Italy, on April 25, 2024.
Members of social centers confront police officers during a demonstration in Piazzale Roma against the introduction of a city entrance fee for day-trippers, in Venice, April 25.
In a surprising statement, former mayor Massimo Cacciari went so far as to suggest that tourists should flatly refuse to pay the “absurd” entrance fee, arguing that they already “pay for everything.”
Cacciari noted in a statement to the Adnkronos news agency that daytime visitors already pay “three times more than residents” for public transportation in the city, and that all travelers contribute to the longevity of Venice’s restaurants and museums.
Representatives also argue that the fee will not solve fundamental problems but will only tarnish the city’s public image.
Simone Venturini, councilor responsible for tourism, defended the policy as part of a wider strategy trying to tackle the problems of overtourism, although admitted it was not “a magic wand”.
‘Fewer day trippers does not mean less income because overnight tourists are more important to the city’s economy.
“We will see the results in the medium and long term and in the meantime we will evaluate how it goes.”
Spain bore the brunt of the conflict over the issue this summer, with anti-tourism protesters going so far as to spray visitors with water while dining on popular streets.
Under the motto ‘Enough! Let’s put limits on tourism’, some 2,800 people – according to the police – marched through a maritime neighborhood in Barcelona to demand a new economic model that reduces the millions of tourists who visit each year.
Protesters carried signs reading “Barcelona is not for sale” and “Tourists go home”, before some used water guns on tourists eating outdoors.
Shouts of “Tourists out of our neighborhood” echoed as some stopped in front of hotel entrances.
This summer, anti-tourist graffiti also appeared in holiday destinations. In Mallorca it reads ‘Kill a tourist’.
Messages reading “Tourists are going home” have been printed on walls in Barcelona and the Balearic Islands.
Protesters threw water guns at tourists eating at popular spots in the city.
A symbolic cordon surrounds a bar-restaurant in a tourist area
During the six months to the end of June, 42.5 million international visitors traveled to Spain, with June alone seeing a 12 percent increase to 9 million as the busiest summer period progresses, according to the agency. Spanish INE data.
That means 2024 is shaping up to be another record year for tourism, as it is the second most visited country in the world behind France.
It is expected to surpass last year’s peak of 85 million tourists, when numbers exceeded pre-pandemic levels.
As in Italy, data shows that visitors are increasingly choosing to stay in rental apartments, rather than hotels, increasing demand for apartments and incentivizing landlords to buy homes at the expense of residents.
The number of visitors to Spain in the first half of the year who stayed in this type of accommodation increased by 30 percent, while those staying in hotels increased by 11 percent.
