Overwhelmed Louvre Staff Is Sick of Tourists

Tourism is usually a good thing. Sure, the tourists themselves can be annoying, but the money they bring can be a lifesaver for a lot of countries. Several European countries could give a rats ass about the money right now, as citizens of several European nations, including Spain and France, are outright rebelling against an overabundance of tourists.

This week, the world’s most-visited museum, the Louvre, closed its doors because its staff couldn’t take it anymore. They were overworked, understaffed, and overwhelmed by incessant selfie-seekers.

So, they walked off the job in the middle of a meeting after telling management that they were sick and tired of operating under what unions called “untenable” conditions.

An Overwhelmed Louvre Staff Has Had It With Tourists

The conditions they are complaining about are varied. But they all fall under the same umbrella: Overtourism.

The museum is packed with thousands of visitors every day, with 20,000 pouring into the Louvre’s largest room, the Salle des États, to get a peek at da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Or, more realistically, snap a quick selfie with the famously mild-mannered smirking lady before they’re quickly shuffled out.

President Emmanuel Macron offered a solution in the form of a $1 billion “Louvre New Renaissance” plan that would move the Mona Lisa to its own dedicated room. Like a modern theme park attraction, it would require a timed entry ticket to see it.

But… that won’t be ready until 2031. The Louvre’s staff are angry and sick of things right now, in 2025, when they have to deal with broken air conditioning, aging infrastructure, and thousands upon thousands of tourists that seem to be multiplying like gremlins.

The Louvre’s staff isn’t alone. Across Southern Europe, people have had it up to here with the endless parade of tourists. In Barcelona, protestors have been squirting tourists with water guns as a not-so-subtle way of telling them to get the hell out of their country. Some are firing off layers outside of hotels. In Genoa, Italy, they dragged suitcases through the streets in a “noisy stroll” demonstration to purposefully annoy tourists.

Locals say overtourism is lowering their quality of life, is causing untold environmental damage, and has made housing much more expensive, as areas and structures of cultural significance are getting gutted and converted into architecturally uninteresting Airbnbs or generic high-end hotels. Their culture is getting wiped out by commerce.

Organizers of these protests, who spoke to the New York Times, say that their beef isn’t with tourists, necessarily, but with the unchecked tourism machine behind them. The Louvre strike and Spain’s water gun assaults are not outliers; they’re a reaction to a system that routinely prioritizes the well-being of people scooting around town in search of the perfect vacation selfie over the well-being of lifelong citizens.