Tourism is a livelihood and a scourge in Finland’s favourite destinations – how to reduce the harms of tourism

Recent statistics reveal the most popular destinations for Finns.

Greece was again the most popular destination for Finns last year, according to the latest statistics from the Finnish Tourism Federation.

Spain was second and Turkey third.

Both Greece and Spain have been in the headlines recently because of the problems caused by mass tourism.

More than 224,000 Finns visited Greece in 2024. The increase in the number of trips is almost seven percent, because the travel season was extended until later in the fall.

Almost 187,000 Finns visited Spain, the Canary and Balearic Islands last year. The increase is more than three percent.

Globally, however, Spain receives many times more tourist trips compared to Greece.

More than 88 million tourists visited Spain last year

A total of 33 million tourists visited Greece in 2023, while 85 million tourists visited Spain and the Canary and Balearic Islands.

Last year, tourism in Spain continued to grow. According to the latest data from the Spanish State Tourism Office, no less than 88 million tourists visited the country by November 2024.

In addition, more than seven million foreigners live in Spain.

For example, in Barcelona, \u200b\u200bMadrid and the Sun Coast, rents have become too expensive for many locals. This is partly due to the increase in the number of tourists and foreign residents.

In Barcelona, \u200b\u200bfor example, this has caused the locals to protest.

– It is important to remember that sentiment has been expressed in big cities against the negative effects of mass tourism, but not against tourism itself.

According to Jiménes, the demonstrations have sought to draw attention to the fact that tourism flows should be managed better and more sustainably in both the public and private sectors.

– The tourism industry must serve and benefit the local population.

Tourism brings money and jobs to Spain

Tourism is a major source of income for Spain and its islands.

In addition, the tourism-related industry created more than 2.5 million jobs. This corresponds to almost 12 percent of total employment.

However, some suffer financially from the tourism business.

Farmers are annoyed by the fact that the drought-stricken region occasionally has a shortage of water, but the tourist swimming pools and golf courses are kept in good condition.

How Spain is tackling the harms of tourism

However, according to Jiménes, some measures are being taken to reduce the disadvantages of tourism.

Here are some examples.

1\\. Barcelona plans to limit the provision of apartments to tourists by 2028 due to a housing shortage for locals. Málaga has also set restrictions on holiday homes.

2\\. Gran Canaria has placed restrictions on the number of visitors to the famous Roque Nublo, and Tenerife is installing capacity meters and cameras on Teide to prevent too many people visiting the mountain.

3\\. Some regions have introduced a tourism tax because the large number of visitors puts a strain on public services and infrastructure.

4\\. The Spanish central government has created a unified register for short-term apartment rentals in order to monitor the activity better.

5\\. Spain’s goal is to promote off-season tourism and distribute tourist flows more evenly throughout the year. They try to get tourists to lesser-known destinations as well, so that the most popular places are not overburdened.

6\\. Spain has allocated 3.4 billion euros to the sustainable development of the tourism industry. This investment focuses on, among other things, energy efficiency, environmental and cultural heritage protection, and digitalization.

Tourism in Greece divides opinion

In Greece too, tourism arouses conflicting feelings among local people.

For example, the price of living on the popular island of Santorini has increased and the island’s infrastructure is suffering.

Cruisers have brought up to 17,000 tourists to the island per day. The mayor proposes that the number be reduced to eight thousand this year.

However, the Santorini merchants’ association is satisfied with the growth of tourism, as it brings money to the island. Tourism is the main driver of the Greek economy, which emerged from the debt crisis in 2018.

In December, the Greek parliament approved a law that increases the tax on hotel accommodation and levies a new fee on cruise ship visitors.

Finnish travel increased last year

According to Matkaimessu’s recent Travel Survey, Finns’ trips abroad increased last year.

58 percent of the respondents went abroad in 2024. The corresponding figure a year earlier was about ten percentage points lower.

In November 2024, more than 1,300 people responded to the survey carried out by Taloustikkusmas.