Barcelona anti-tourism protesters fire water pistols at visitors

CNN
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Protesters Barcelona Visitors were sprayed with water as part of a mass protest sightseeing.

Protesters marched through popular tourist areas on Saturday, chanting “tourists go home”, spraying tourists with water pistols and some holding signs with slogans such as “Barcelona is not for sale”.

Spain has seen recent demonstrations against mass tourism, with thousands of protesters taking to the streets of cities. Similar actions have been seen recently in the Canary Islands and Mallorca, where locals have decried the impact it has on their cost of living and quality of life.

The demonstration was organized by a group of more than 100 local organizations. Security guards at tourist sites
(Neighborhood Gathering for Tourism Degrowth).

According to official figures, around 26 million tourists are expected to stay in the Barcelona area in 2023, spending 12.75 billion euros ($13.8 billion).

But the Tourism Tax Relief Council argues that these visitors increase prices, put pressure on public services, distribute tourism profits unfairly and increase social inequality.

The city has unveiled 13 proposals to reduce tourist numbers and move the city to a new tourism model, including closing cruise ship terminals, tightening regulations on tourist accommodation and halting public spending on tourism promotion.

The city’s mayor, Jaume Corboni, on Saturday highlighted a series of measures he recently announced to mitigate the impact of mass tourism, including raising the tourist tax to 4 euros ($4.30) per night and limiting the number of passengers on cruise ships.

Corboni also announced at the end of June that he would abolish short-term rental licenses for more than 10,000 apartments and end apartment rentals for tourists by 2028.

This will help make housing more affordable for long-term residents, according to Corboni, who said rents have risen 68 percent over the past decade and the cost of buying a home has risen 38 percent.

But Mayor Corboni has been criticized for allowing events such as a Louis Vuitton fashion show to be held in architect Antoni Gaudi’s Park Güell in May and the upcoming America’s Cup sailing competition to go ahead.

The growing discontent in Barcelona echoes similar protests in other parts of Spain.

In April, local Canary Islands Mobilized to protest Excessive tourismThey blamed the high fees for driving visitors out of their homes and causing environmental damage.

Such complaints are common in many popular destinations around the world, which have recently seen record numbers of visitors as the travel industry recovers from the pandemic-induced downturn.

While this surge may be good news for local economies and hotel revenues, it also comes with notable downsides, including noise, pollution, traffic congestion, increased strain on resources, a reduced quality of life for locals, and a poorer experience for tourists.

Not surprisingly, cities that attract large numbers of tourists have instituted initiatives and regulations aimed at combating overtourism, including new or increased tourist taxes, campaigns aimed at deterring problem tourists, and limiting the number of visitors to popular attractions.