Can cities cope with Europe's tourism boom? MEPs debate in a special edition of The Ring
In this special live episode, we’re zooming in on how the tourism boom across Europe is affecting locals — and whether it’s possible to square the circle between the continent’s tourism growth and its worrying housing crisis.
Published on 30/09/2026 - 20:30 GMT+2
Europe is one of the world’s biggest tourist destinations, but record visitor numbers are putting growing pressure on the places people call home. From Barcelona to Lisbon, and Amsterdam to Athens, cities are struggling to balance the economic benefits of tourism with overcrowding, rising rents and a shrinking supply of affordable housing. How much tourism can Europe’s cities handle, and who should bear the cost?
In this edition, recorded live at the Euronews Travel & Tourism Summit in Brussels, two EU lawmakers step into The Ring: Regina Doherty, an Irish MEP with Fine Gael and a member of the centre-right European People’s Party, and Sérgio Gonçalves, a Portuguese Socialist MEP from Madeira.
Watch The Ring in the player above and reach out to us at: thering@euronews.com
This episode of The Ring is hosted by Méabh Mc Mahon, produced by Luis Albertos Altarejos and Amaia Echevarria, and edited by Vassilis Glynos.
