Most Read

1.

2 Singapore restaurants to close in March amid continued turbulence

2.

Grandsons of Singapore ‘rubber king’ Lee Kong Chian pay $53M for three luxury homes

3.

Malaysia has positive chance of beating FIFA in court: AFC

4.

Malaysian airports face complaints over expensive food

5.

Ho Chi Minh City unveils design of mega sea link between Can Gio and Vung Tau

6.

Vietnam proposes $755M expressway link between Ho Chi Minh City and Phnom Penh

7.

Hong Kong actor Liu Wai Hung to open fishball shop in Kuala Lumpur

8.

Vietnam’s two busiest airports brace for record Tet crowds

9.

Hong Kong’s 5 richest billionaires own $141B, with most held by ‘big four’ tycoon families

10.

Ride-hailing drivers worn down in quest for Lunar New Year windfall

Recommend for you

Tan Son Nhat Airport crowded as Tet travelers rush home

Chinese tourists head to Australia, Thailand on extended Lunar New Year break

Vietnam’s two busiest airports brace for record Tet crowds

Tet congestion in HCMC slows emergency response despite sirens

Police in France detain 9 people in suspected massive Louvre ticket fraud scheme

World’s second most visited country shifts focus to sustainable tourism amid record arrivals

By Hoang Vu    February 11, 2026 | 03:20 pm PT

Tourists enjoy the beach at the Mediterranean Sea in Lloret de Mar, Spain, July 11, 2025. Photo by Reuters

Spain is seeking to rebalance tourism and daily life after a record influx of visitors in 2025 intensified pressure on housing and living costs for residents.

The country welcomed 96.8 million foreign tourists last year, a 3.2% increase from 2024, making it the second most visited country globally, behind France with 105 million visitors, according to figures released on Feb. 3 by the National Statistics Institute.

While the surge underscores the sector’s strong recovery, it has also fueled growing public dissatisfaction, Euro News reported.

Residents in major destinations have raised concerns about overcrowding, rising house prices, limited housing supply, and the strain on resources such as water, particularly where tourism infrastructure has expanded, Reuters reported.

Many also say higher living costs mean they can no longer afford holidays in their own resort areas.

City centers have been especially affected, as the spread of short-term rentals has reduced long-term housing availability and driven up rents, adding to tensions between locals and visitors.

Spain’s tourism ministry said in a statement the increase in visitor numbers and spending aligns with its goal of transforming the sector into a more sustainable model that prioritizes quality over quantity, aiming to reduce social and environmental pressures while maintaining economic benefits.

The “quality over quantity” approach is already evident in Spanish cities, which have moved to cap the number of licenses issued for short-term rentals, issued guidelines to visitors on meeting local etiquette expectations, and tightened rules on public behavior — including bans on smoking on beaches, according to Travel Tomorrow.

Spain blocks more than 65,000 Airbnb holiday rental listings

Spain has ordered Airbnb to withdraw more than 65,000 listings for holiday rentals which it said violated existing rules from its platform as part of a general crackdown on a business blamed for contributing to the housing crisis in the country.

Tourists face $800 fines for going shirtless in Spain

Visitors in Malaga, one of Spain’s most popular destinations, will face fines of up to 750 euros (US$832) if caught going shirtless or wearing only underwear in public, under a new regulation effective from September.

Spain’s Seville plans to charge fee for visiting landmark square

Tourists visiting the southern Spanish city of Seville may soon have to pay a fee to explore the wide, ornate Plaza de Espana square, the city hall said, as part of plans to control tourist overload in a public open space.

‘Go home’: Too much tourism sparks backlash in Spain

Anti-tourism movements are multiplying in Spain, the world’s second most visited country, prompting the authorities to try and reconcile the interests of locals and the lucrative sector.