Anti-tourism protesters in Spain are reportedly resorting to novel techniques to deter visitors.
Short-term rental properties have reportedly been smeared with excrement as anti-tourism protests reach fever pitch in Spain.
According to Spanish daily newspaper ABC, several apartments in the Andalusian capital Seville have been targeted, with lockboxes containing keys being covered in brown muck.
The incidents coincide with a new proposal by the city mayor to limit licences for Airbnb-style short-term rentals. It would cap tourist apartments at 10 per cent of the total accommodation in certain areas.
However, some believe the proposed restrictions do not go far enough, with the main opposition party PSOE blocking the bill for this reason.
Support for a tourist apartment crackdown in Seville is growing
Public opposition to tourist apartments in the city is growing, with hundreds of locals gathering in Seville to demand an end to Airbnb licences at the end of last month.
The uncontrolled rise in tourist accommodation is driving up rents in the city centre and forcing locals out.
This is especially the case in the vibrant Alameda district, where the targeted lockboxes were reportedly found.
An image accompanying the ABC report shows a lockbox attached to a window railing with the combination code cover smeared with what appears to be dog poo.
The boxes are used by apartment owners to securely hold keys, which can then be accessed independently by guests using an unlock code.
Where else in Spain is clamping down on tourist apartments?
Seville isn’t the only Spanish city struggling with overtourism.
Barcelona has seen huge protests against mass tourism in recent weeks – bringing its own brand of vigilante crackdowns, with locals spraying visitors with water pistols.
The Catalan capital recently announced plans to eliminate all tourist rentals by 2028.
Elsewhere in Spain, such as Palma, Malaga and Valencia, rules have been introduced to help regulate numbers, including tourist taxes and limits on the number of holiday rentals.
Despite such measures, statistics from the Spanish government show that the number of tourist apartments has increased by nine per cent in the last year, with more than 340,000 now registered.
