Barcelona Residents Voice Concerns Over Mass Tourism
On Sunday, thousands of people took to the streets in southern European cities to protest against over-tourism, using water guns to target shop windows and creating smoke in Barcelona, where the main demonstration took place.
Protesters chanted “Your holidays, my misery” in Barcelona’s streets while carrying signs that read “Mass tourism kills the city” and “Their greed leads us to ruin.”
United Front Against Uncontrolled Tourism
Under the SET (Sud d’Europa contra la Turistització) alliance, protesters joined forces with groups from Portugal and Italy, arguing that uncontrolled tourism was driving up housing prices and forcing people to leave their neighborhoods.
Barcelona, a city of 1.6 million residents, attracted 26 million tourists last year.
According to city authorities, around 600 people joined the demonstration in Barcelona, some of whom used water guns or colored smoke and placed “Neighborhood self-defense, tourists go home” stickers on shop windows and hotels.
At one hotel, an agitated employee confronted protesters, stating that he was “just working” and not the owner of the establishment.
Similar Protests Across Spain and Italy
Similar protests occurred in other Spanish cities like Ibiza, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, San Sebastián, and Granada. In Italy, demonstrations took place in cities such as Genoa, Naples, Palermo, Milan, and Venice, where residents oppose the construction of two hotels adding 1,500 new beds to the city, according to organizers speaking to Reuters.
Barcelona’s Plan to Limit Tourist Apartments
Barcelona’s city government announced last year that it would ban the rental of apartments to tourists by 2028 to make the city more livable for residents.
“A Radical Reduction in Tourist Numbers”
Eva Vilaseca, 38, told Reuters at Sunday’s protest in Barcelona that she is “very tired of being a nuisance in my own city.” She advocated for a “radical reduction” in Barcelona’s tourist numbers and promoting a different economic model that would bring prosperity to the city, dismissing the common argument that tourism creates jobs and prosperity.
Key Questions and Answers
- Who are the protesters? The protesters are residents of southern European cities, including Barcelona, who are concerned about the negative impacts of over-tourism on their communities.
- What are their main grievances? The protesters argue that mass tourism drives up housing prices, forces residents to leave their neighborhoods, and negatively impacts the quality of life in these cities.
- Which cities joined the protests? Protests took place in Barcelona, Ibiza, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, San Sebastián, Granada, Genoa, Naples, Palermo, Milan, and Venice.
- What is Barcelona’s plan to address over-tourism? Barcelona’s city government plans to ban the rental of apartments to tourists by 2028 to make the city more livable for residents.
- What is the expected growth in European travel spending? International travel spending in Europe is projected to increase by 11% this year, reaching $838 billion. España and France are among the countries expected to receive a record number of tourists.
