As protests against mass tourism sweep across Spain, from the Canaries to Barcelona, the Cíes islands off Galicia offer a contrasting model: a daily cap on visitors that has preserved tranquility and protected wildlife. The regional government introduced the limit seven years ago, reducing summer crowds from thousands to 1,800 per day between 15 May and 15 September, and 450 per day thereafter. Visitors must obtain a QR code from the regional government website and pay €25 (£21) for the ferry.
Park director José Antonio Fernández Bouzas says the cap has been well received. “People understand the need for the cap and they respect and appreciate it,” he explains. “We need the access controls to protect the area, but they also mean that people can enjoy their visits.” He notes that visitors now book months in advance and come year-round, rather than just in July and August, enhancing the experience.
However, experts caution that such caps are not a universal solution for overtourism. Claudio Milano, a researcher at the University of Barcelona, warns that applying limits to cities could turn them into “theme parks.” He argues that the protests reflect deeper issues: housing shortages, precarious employment, and the climate emergency. “If we didn’t have housing problems in cities such as Seville, Málaga, Cádiz and Barcelona, then Airbnb would be a minor problem,” he says.
Milano emphasises that the movements are “anti-touristification, not anti-tourism,” and that tourism has become politicised. While the Cíes model works for protected natural areas, addressing overtourism elsewhere requires tackling underlying socioeconomic grievances.
