Santiago de Compostela fights against mass tourism with a guide to “good manners”
With half a million pilgrims last year, Santiago de Compostela has joined the "black list" of cities affected by excessive tourism. Unlike other cities like Barcelona, where the protests were more direct, the Santiago authorities have opted for a friendlier strategy: a "good manners" guide for visitors.
The guide, published in several languages, asks tourists to keep noise down, respect traffic rules and use plastic protectors on their walking sticks so as not to damage the historic streets. However, many pilgrims ignore these requests, which has generated growing discontent among residents.
The impact of tourism is evident in the old town, where residents have been displaced by the constant influx of visitors. Roberto Almuíña, president of the neighborhood association, explained to Euronews that, although they have always coexisted with tourism, the current excess has generated an inevitable rejection.
In addition to the problems of coexistence, mass tourism has skyrocketed housing prices. A study by the city council reveals that short-term rentals increased by 44% between 2018 and 2023, which has led the authorities to ask the regional government to classify the area as "high pressure" in order to limit increases.
