Media: Residents of Southern European countries protest against tourists

Governments, for their part, are less inclined to implement durable measures. For many EU countries, especially those in southern Europe, tourism is a key pillar of their economy: 11.3 percent for Croatia, and between 6 and 8 percent for Portugal, Greece, Spain and Italy, according to an analysis by Allianz.

After the pandemic all but halted tourism for two years, people eager to travel embarked on so-called “revenge tourism" — reaping back the trips they had missed out on.

In part due to tourism, Spain, Portugal, and Greece — long the laggards among Europe’s big economies — outperformed the rest of the EU in 2023. While GDP across the bloc rose at 0.5 percent, the economies of Portugal, Greece and Spain all posted rates above 2 percent.