A major demonstration against the expansion of Barcelona-El Prat Airport took place on Sunday in central Barcelona. According to the City Police, 5,500 people took part in the protest, while organizers put the figure at 30,000 attendees. Protests were also held in Palma and Ibiza on Sunday against plans to expand or redevelop those airports.

Tourism is the issue. Tourism brought an extraordinary €134.7 billion of international visitor spending into Spain last year. But protesters argue that increasing airport capacity will pile even more pressure onto housing, public services, local communities and the environment.

The contradiction is what makes Spain’s tourism debate so complicated. A record 96.8 million international tourists visited the country in 2025 and spent €134.7 billion, including €23.65 billion from British visitors alone. Catalonia received €24.8 billion in international tourist spending while the Balearic Islands received another €21.1 billion.  The protesters want limits on further growth, fewer flights in some areas and more local control over airport development.