It goes without saying that tourism can be controversial, and is a double-edged sword for regions that are popular with visitors. While tourism can do a lot to support local economies, over time it can also take away from the way of life for locals, and change economics. Along those lines, some locals in Barcelona are expressing their displeasure with tourists in a pretty direct way, during the city’s busiest tourism period…
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Protestors target visitors in Barcelona
Reader Jessica emailed to share how she’s currently on a family holiday in Europe. While in Barcelona last week, her family got sprayed with water pistols while walking down the street. She didn’t quite know what was happening at the time, but then the next day saw a big anti-tourism protest on La Rambla, and that’s when she fully realized what was going on.
Indeed, this seems to be a recurring thing in Barcelona at the moment. The city has seen several large scale protests, taking place in areas popular with tourists. They’ve been chanting phrases like “tourists go home” and “Barcelona is not for sale,” and have been shooting tourists with water pistols, including while seated at restaurants and cafes.
This isn’t exclusive to Barcelona, as there have been similar protests in places like Mallorca and the Canary Islands, as locals express frustration at the cost of living and quality of life as a result of tourism. In 2023, Barcelona saw 26 million overnight visitors, and they spent roughly $13.8 billion.
However, these anti-tourism organizations argue that these visitors increase prices and put pressure on public services, while profits are unfairly distributed to increase social inequality. These groups are calling on proposals like closing the cruise ship terminal, regulations on tourist accommodations, and ending public spending on tourism promotion.
Should these kinds of protests impact our travel choices?
The reader who shared this story with me explained that her family had a great time in Barcelona and wouldn’t hesitate to return or to recommend a trip there. However, she’s now less sure about traveling to a place where this is the sentiment among locals, and asks for my thoughts.
It’s a great question, and I’m not sure I have an easy answer, though I’ll still share my take. Look, mass tourism has no doubt become a big issue in many places. I’m not one of those people who thinks “how dare the locals not be grateful for my tourist dollars,” while walking off a cruise ship.
I think the whole thing is a bit more nuanced than that. I don’t think we’re entitled to being welcomed with open arms in Hawaii, Venice, etc., and to tell locals how they should feel about us, even if tourism is how many people support their families.
With that in mind, a few thoughts:
- Just about any major source of revenue for a region’s economy is going to have pros and cons; that’s not exclusive to tourism, as the same is true for manufacturing, a city becoming a tech hub, etc.
- I wouldn’t assume that the sentiment regarding tourism in Barcelona is any different than in most other major cities dealing with mass tourism; the only difference is whether groups are organizing to protest this so publicly
- I can appreciate the challenges that tourism poses for many locals, and I think these kinds of protests can help get a dialogue going between the government and these groups, to provide relief with some pain points; there are things the government can do to make tourism more acceptable and beneficial for locals
- There’s no denying that as a visitor it’s uncomfortable to go somewhere and be shot with a water pistol, though at least these protests aren’t violent beyond that
Personally I can’t say that something like this would impact my desire to travel somewhere. That’s simply because I realize that in most places dealing with mass tourism, the sentiment is probably the same. Some people are greatly in favor of it, others are strongly against it, and others are somewhere in the middle.
I’d almost view this similarly to a labor group going on strike in the airline or hotel industry. Ultimately they’re not meaning to inconvenience customers, but rather it’s the best bargaining technique they have to try to get what they’re hoping for.
Bottom line
While frustration with mass tourism has become an increasingly big issue, some groups in Barcelona are expressing their displeasure a bit more directly at the moment. The city has seen protests in popular tourist areas, including visitors being sprayed with water pistols.
Mass tourism is complicated, and as much as tourism is good for the overall economy of a place, that money isn’t always distributed fairly, and it can also impact the day-to-day life of locals negatively.
What do you make of these anti-tourism protests in Barcelona?
Yes, BCN is over-touristed. In a big way. But it's mostly concentrated in a quite small area so as expats we never go there. Much of the tourists there seem pretty ill-behaved with lots of party places that open late at night and shut as late as 6:00 am. If the city regulated those clubs maybe the tourists those clubs attract wouldn't come any more. My son (many years ago) lived in the Gothic Quarter...
Yes, BCN is over-touristed. In a big way. But it's mostly concentrated in a quite small area so as expats we never go there. Much of the tourists there seem pretty ill-behaved with lots of party places that open late at night and shut as late as 6:00 am. If the city regulated those clubs maybe the tourists those clubs attract wouldn't come any more. My son (many years ago) lived in the Gothic Quarter but found getting back and forth from work got ever more difficult so he moved.
In Gracia we see some spray painted "Tourist Go Home" messages but as my son pointed out "they are all in the same handwriting" so it's a single individual. But nothing elsewhere. BCN is a big city.
The extent of the housing crisis in Spain is actually much worse than the number of homes built and in the housing stock indicate. While homelessness is obviously up across Spain and more noticeable, what is less noticeable on the streets as a visitor is how much more likely adult children are ending up having to live or move back in with older parents or grandparents.
The global financial crisis in 2008 pretty much...
The extent of the housing crisis in Spain is actually much worse than the number of homes built and in the housing stock indicate. While homelessness is obviously up across Spain and more noticeable, what is less noticeable on the streets as a visitor is how much more likely adult children are ending up having to live or move back in with older parents or grandparents.
The global financial crisis in 2008 pretty much threw everything so far off in Spain that home building became even more insufficient than was already the case for locals. And it’s never really recovered from that shock. In more recent years there has been the Covid-19-related shock and all the inflation in basic materials and labor, and that too has not worked to grow the housing stock in line with population. Immigration acts as a restrain on inflation even as it of course also adds to housing demand in areas where the jobs are and where they aren’t, but recent immigrants tend to be more willing to put up (and willingly contribute) to increased housing density more so than long-time locals.
About squirting or tossing water at unwilling recipients of the water, it’s not a civilized gesture and shouldn’t be done.
Ironicially, there is the Columbus Monument in Barcelona...
You know, at least tourists don't go to your city and start looting and killing people...
I would say people in Spain (yes, Barcelona is a part of Spain), among with the British, the Portugese, the French, etc. are the least justified bunch of people to shout at tourism......
Oh sure it's the fault of the tourists that your local landowners want more money for letting out their properties. Absolutely not the fault of greedy locals.
Barcelona is over rated.... Too much attitude and local snobs, locals think that the City is the best ever... yawn.... Too bad tourists can't get their act together and totally boycott this place.... let the restaurants, cab drivers, museums and hotels all go out of business, then they will be left alone..
I live in New Orleans which thrives on tourism.
Yes, we have had issues with AirBnB, traffic, too many hotels, etc.
However, we also host the Sugar Bowl, Super Bowl, Essence Festival, Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, medical conventions, etc, etc, etc.
All of the above keep many tour guides, musicians, and other service workers employed .
To imagine locals squirting tourist with water pistols would be insane!!
You don’t bite the hand that feeds you!!
Catalans are entitled brats. They think they can somehow manage to be an independent country, yet seem intent on destroying their most important industry. Not surprisingly, many are anti-semites and socialists.
A Canary Island resident writes:
In Lanzarote, there is insufficient water to provide a 24/7 supply for the entire island and the tourist areas get priority in supply. Understandably, this upsets many people!
Meanwhile, the authorities here are too cowardly to introduce a tourism tax to reduce the volume of tourists. A flat rate tax of, say, €5 per night would reduce the volume of people, especially at the cheap end of the market. As...
A Canary Island resident writes:
In Lanzarote, there is insufficient water to provide a 24/7 supply for the entire island and the tourist areas get priority in supply. Understandably, this upsets many people!
Meanwhile, the authorities here are too cowardly to introduce a tourism tax to reduce the volume of tourists. A flat rate tax of, say, €5 per night would reduce the volume of people, especially at the cheap end of the market. As well as increasing average spend, it would help reduce strains on electricity and water supply.
Another issue are AirBnB travellers, who should be encouraged - their average spend is significantly HIGHER than average.
interesting that you think Airbnb visitors should be prioritized. In most markets these visitors end up cannibalizing the local housing market (which is driving the BCN protest, in part).
The effect of AirBnB/short term rental apartments on the overall housing stock is drastically over-emphasized as a cause of housing price increases. The culprit is far more often just that the city refuses to build additional housing for its growing population. I mentioned this downthread, but back in 2008 Barcelona built 44k new units of housing. That declined year-over-year to the point that in 2021, they built only 8k. Barcelona's current plan to kill AirBnB...
The effect of AirBnB/short term rental apartments on the overall housing stock is drastically over-emphasized as a cause of housing price increases. The culprit is far more often just that the city refuses to build additional housing for its growing population. I mentioned this downthread, but back in 2008 Barcelona built 44k new units of housing. That declined year-over-year to the point that in 2021, they built only 8k. Barcelona's current plan to kill AirBnB will put 10k~ housing units back to the long term rental supply over a multi-year period, so not doing much to actually alleviate the housing issue. What's actually needed to address the shortage is to increase or remove height limits altogether so more housing can be added.
Cruise lines don’t support local economy much in terms of hotel tax and eating at local restaurants. I see lots of cruises start or end at Barcelona. If you remove most cruises, then that will solve some of the over tourism issues. You can’t try to earn docking fee while complaining about the hands that feed you. So Catalans should vote and decide if they want all these tourist money or not. You can’t expect...
Cruise lines don’t support local economy much in terms of hotel tax and eating at local restaurants. I see lots of cruises start or end at Barcelona. If you remove most cruises, then that will solve some of the over tourism issues. You can’t try to earn docking fee while complaining about the hands that feed you. So Catalans should vote and decide if they want all these tourist money or not. You can’t expect tourist money and give nothing back. Everything comes with consequences. Or maybe do what they do in Bhutan. Problems solved.
OK, Barcelona does not want you. Go to other parts of the world that do!
Inflation and prices of food, housing, accommodation etc. is not restricted to Barcelona or Spain for that matter. It is a worldwide issue now, and governments have been pretty powerless to combat it in meaningful ways so far.
Over-saturation of tourism is an adjacent issue, not the cause as these protesters seem convinced.
Many of their called-for solutions would perhaps help revive the liveability of Barcelona et al, and are worthy of consideration...
Inflation and prices of food, housing, accommodation etc. is not restricted to Barcelona or Spain for that matter. It is a worldwide issue now, and governments have been pretty powerless to combat it in meaningful ways so far.
Over-saturation of tourism is an adjacent issue, not the cause as these protesters seem convinced.
Many of their called-for solutions would perhaps help revive the liveability of Barcelona et al, and are worthy of consideration by the municipal and regional powers.
Money speaks however, and change may never happen.
Tourists are like crops. Framers tend to complain as there is never an optimal harvest: either too much stuff to be sold cheaply, or there's a shortage of crops that, even if sold expensively, do not cover input costs.
Remember the despair about tourism businesses going bust left, right, and centre during the spamdemic? Not good... Tourists are back in huge numbers? Even worse...
Popular countries or cities dream of "proper" kind of...
Tourists are like crops. Framers tend to complain as there is never an optimal harvest: either too much stuff to be sold cheaply, or there's a shortage of crops that, even if sold expensively, do not cover input costs.
Remember the despair about tourism businesses going bust left, right, and centre during the spamdemic? Not good... Tourists are back in huge numbers? Even worse...
Popular countries or cities dream of "proper" kind of tourists: high spenders in low numbers doing fancy-shmancy stuff, basically akin to Brits on continental tours in the 19th century...
It is not possible to mamage it in a reasonable way anymore, in most of the circumstances.
Do you make touristm an elitist pastime, or do you keep it open to aspirational masses, many from newly-well off enough parts of the world?
A Novel Prize for those who come with a definite solution...
You’re a complete moron. Tourists are, effectively, a demand sided issue. More consumers in a location lead to higher demand and higher prices for goods and services in that area.
Drawing a parallel to supply of crops is idiotic. Unfortunately approximately half of the people who read your post agree with you.
What you’re trying to say is that there should be high barriers to entry if locals truly want tourism to decrease - either...
You’re a complete moron. Tourists are, effectively, a demand sided issue. More consumers in a location lead to higher demand and higher prices for goods and services in that area.
Drawing a parallel to supply of crops is idiotic. Unfortunately approximately half of the people who read your post agree with you.
What you’re trying to say is that there should be high barriers to entry if locals truly want tourism to decrease - either through tourist tax, cap on tourist entry, etc.
Unfortunately, this will never happen when the state collects 20% VAT on all purchases! It’s far better to collect 20% of inflated prices than the alternative of a non tourist city.
I’ll take my “Novel” prize now - thanks
That was very thoughtful and extremely enlightening of you. Much appreciated!
Your assuming that it's all or nothing ("It’s far better to collect 20% of inflated prices than the alternative of a non tourist city.") which is not the case. Living on an island whose main activity is tourism, the objective should be to reduce demand through a tourist tax (which would raise more, I expect, than our 7% sales tax) and, at the same time, reduce demand for properties from workers to serve the tourist...
Your assuming that it's all or nothing ("It’s far better to collect 20% of inflated prices than the alternative of a non tourist city.") which is not the case. Living on an island whose main activity is tourism, the objective should be to reduce demand through a tourist tax (which would raise more, I expect, than our 7% sales tax) and, at the same time, reduce demand for properties from workers to serve the tourist markets, at the moment, hospitality workers find rental costs unaffordable),
I agree with Tim Dumdum, that makes us more than 50%. If Obama can have Nobel Prize for doing nothing, I believe you can have yours too.
Was Barcelona some sort of Iberian paradise-on-earth for locals before those 'nasty' tourists wrecked it? Read your history (economic and social) The answer will not bring a smile to your face if you're an ordinary local.
Barcelone ? Too mainstream and overcrowded!
I "pridely" go to Sitges 3/4 times a year!
Maybe the pleasures and activities of Sitges are not so abundant in 'mainstream' Barcelona?
Actually, they are. Barcelona is gayer than a circus! I have a great time there.
Sitges.. another overrated and "gay snob" A Gay place with attitude, overrun with tourists... you would hardly know you are in Spain... yawn
I knew there was a reason I prefer Madrid over Barcelona. I say give them everything they demand and let them sort it out. I'm all for home rule. Spain should finally just release the Basque region as it's own country and be done with it.
Hmmm, a tourist advocating for the breakup of a country? Wow, the arrogance of it! No, I am not a Spaniard.
Barcelona is in Catalonia, not in the Basque region.
The city should consider actual solutions because everyone except low education entitled fools know tourism business is as important as restaurant businesses. They should consider something more reasonable like cruise ship limits per day, per year. Charging ships and flights a much higher fee. These fees HAVE to go back to Barcelona locals and not corruption (good luck with that). You need to weed out those who really want to travel vs those who wants...
The city should consider actual solutions because everyone except low education entitled fools know tourism business is as important as restaurant businesses. They should consider something more reasonable like cruise ship limits per day, per year. Charging ships and flights a much higher fee. These fees HAVE to go back to Barcelona locals and not corruption (good luck with that). You need to weed out those who really want to travel vs those who wants to post on Instagram and tiktok and really don't even know what country they're in.
One really smart thing I heard recently is that people just like to b*tch moan and complain but those same people never ever offer suggestions. Doesn't even have to be a great solution it just needs to be a starting point. People who whine to me now I'll ask them for a suggestion and when I shoot them down one idea after the next then they'll know it's not so simple and politicians are not the holders of all solutions maybe they should keep their trap shut until they have a good idea. The easy thing to do these days is to point your fingers or blame immigrants because it's an easy target.
First question to them is how many of them travel? If they don't want tourists well it's going to have to start with them not traveling as well. I remember these in street protests taking hold in Barcelona in 2019.then the pandemic hit. Then I remember seeing a whole lot of advertisements from the city of Barcelona in 2021 with "Barcelona is open for business". Can't have your cake and eat it. The people there...
First question to them is how many of them travel? If they don't want tourists well it's going to have to start with them not traveling as well. I remember these in street protests taking hold in Barcelona in 2019.then the pandemic hit. Then I remember seeing a whole lot of advertisements from the city of Barcelona in 2021 with "Barcelona is open for business". Can't have your cake and eat it. The people there won't notice the problem if tourism does dwindle for a few years. And when the economy is severely impacted and it will they can't do a reversal "oh why don't you come to Barcelona". So they should consider it carefully.
Have you considered that they are different people? People of Barcelona aren't a homogeneous group with the same opinion.
I agree with many.
In the case of Barcelona, and also Venice,
they should place a tax on the tourist specially in the ones that visit one day or two. What You want to accomplish its too filter the type of tourist that adds real value to your economy and community. The tax basically encourages quality over quantity. Not all destinations are for everyone, and the benefits should reflect for the residents.
I have lived in Spain and was in Barcelona as recently as November last year. When we left on a small cruise ship there were at least four mega-class ships in port in Barcelona - in November!
These ships dump upwards of 20,000 pax into the city and then board another 20,000. Many of these cruise lines use Barcelona as a home port in the summer.
Unfortunately, many cruise passengers only go to/from...
I have lived in Spain and was in Barcelona as recently as November last year. When we left on a small cruise ship there were at least four mega-class ships in port in Barcelona - in November!
These ships dump upwards of 20,000 pax into the city and then board another 20,000. Many of these cruise lines use Barcelona as a home port in the summer.
Unfortunately, many cruise passengers only go to/from the airport and contribute little to the local economy.
I had a lengthy conversation with a cab driver who told me the situation in peak summer was almost intolerable to locals. Shut out of restaurants, long waits to get a coffee, lines everywhere.
I understand the frustration.
Cruise lines create the same problem in the Caribbean when they dump 5000 pax on a small island for a day (think Cayman). They only buy a tee shirt and return to the ship to eat.
ditto with Key West....tough place to live unless you are with the military
I know locals in the Scandinavian capitals who complain about tourists in the summer making things worse for biking locals. But many such locals probably also complain when locals from other neighborhoods come to their neighborhoods to entertain themselves.
If you choose to live near Times Square, certain things come with the territory. Same with major cities that are popular with tourists.
I am NOT good with confrontation and will probably forego getting off our cruise ship in Barcelona come September and October....as we are fortunate enough to have visited that beautiful city many times. I do see that there are two sides to this story.....difficult to figure it out and I am not qualified in the slightest to do so. Again....just knowing that I am not wanted somewhere? Is enough to keep me away....
"... while profits are unfairly distributed to increase social inequality."
Now we know exactly which political ideology forms the backbone of these anti-tourism groups.
I think you may not understand that there are European right-wingers that feel that same way too and maybe even more strongly than some of the left-wingers. And the more right-wing they are, the more they seem to feel that way and are willing to use any and every excuse under the sun to try to justify their hostility to visitors and even some locals.
Governments (local and regional) create the policies which allow meaningful use or exploitative tourism. They maintain local flavor or sell to the highest corporate bidder. Cruise ships are particularly damaging as they bring almost no revenue to the locals but create excess water and air pollution from idling and dumping.
I spent a lot of time with local guides and chefs on my recent trip to Southern Spain. They loved tourists who were trying to...
Governments (local and regional) create the policies which allow meaningful use or exploitative tourism. They maintain local flavor or sell to the highest corporate bidder. Cruise ships are particularly damaging as they bring almost no revenue to the locals but create excess water and air pollution from idling and dumping.
I spent a lot of time with local guides and chefs on my recent trip to Southern Spain. They loved tourists who were trying to do meaningful activities. They blamed the government for seeking the highest bidder and allowing over-tourism without boundaries. Maybe the protestors will actually get the government's attention, especially if corporate tourism companies start complaining!
If travelers didn't all bottleneck into the same places, this wouldn't be an issue. A lot of this is due to low-cost airlines and marketing programs gone wrong....Go somewhere that your co-workers have never heard of...you'll be fine.
Palestinian flags of course… another woke liberal progressive rally
Painted on some walls is, "Tourists go home" and underneath, "Welcome refugees", in English, not Spanish so that everyone gets the message. The tourists will spend their and then go home. The 'refugees' will stay and spend the taxpayers money. These people are beyond stupid.
Typical bigot response when you have nothing worthwhile to say.
It’s true though. What has Palestine got to do with this ? Then this riff raff should have their passports removed and not travel anywhere since they have to practice what they preach.
It’s like the environmentalists I’m aware of who have been at anti airport demos, and yet are members of airline loyalty programmes, fly short distances within Europe when they could take trains, and are happy to claim EU compensation.
Can't see a single Palestinian flag, and so what if there was?
I have more time for protesters like these folk who are clearly engaged and committed to worthwhile issues rather than mean single-dimension right-wing bigots like yourself Dan!
Don't be a shit tourist who stays at an airbnb and visits "highlights" with some kind of an organised tour. I've been to Barcelona a dozen times over the last 10 years and I had a good time. It's all about being polite and actually being there to enjoy the local culture rather than being some shit person on tour. And this is true everywhere in Europe. No one is interested in "where should I...
Don't be a shit tourist who stays at an airbnb and visits "highlights" with some kind of an organised tour. I've been to Barcelona a dozen times over the last 10 years and I had a good time. It's all about being polite and actually being there to enjoy the local culture rather than being some shit person on tour. And this is true everywhere in Europe. No one is interested in "where should I stay to be withing the walking distance of all tourist sights on my 2 days stay in Prague" kind of pseudotourists. It's a city, not a Disneyland. Treat it as such and you'll be fine.
Not a fan of Barcelona, the place has become a bit of a tourist trap overall and pickpockets are rampant.
I once had a teenager trying to say hi and shake my hand speaking in what he thought was Chinese (because I am Asia), and then I stupidly thought that a fistbump will suffice. Turned out he was trying to steal my watch, but I had my hand out opened and the rolex wouldn't...
Not a fan of Barcelona, the place has become a bit of a tourist trap overall and pickpockets are rampant.
I once had a teenager trying to say hi and shake my hand speaking in what he thought was Chinese (because I am Asia), and then I stupidly thought that a fistbump will suffice. Turned out he was trying to steal my watch, but I had my hand out opened and the rolex wouldn't come off.
Held him by his hand and punched him hard in the face twice, his face hit the sidewall and he started crying whilst his friend just ran the hell off - where's the loyalty!
how are you so sure it is purely water?
I’m a regular visitor to Barcelona and have never had a negative interaction because I’m a tourist.
However, there is a problem with rowdy Northern Europeans visiting for stag/hen or bachelor/bachelorette parties and causing mayhem for locals.
The growth of Airbnb and the “digital nomads” has priced many locals out of certain parts of the city.
Lots of restaurants and other services have become expensive and out of reach for locals as they reach for...
I’m a regular visitor to Barcelona and have never had a negative interaction because I’m a tourist.
However, there is a problem with rowdy Northern Europeans visiting for stag/hen or bachelor/bachelorette parties and causing mayhem for locals.
The growth of Airbnb and the “digital nomads” has priced many locals out of certain parts of the city.
Lots of restaurants and other services have become expensive and out of reach for locals as they reach for a foreign “influencer” clientele.
I totally agree with you. While I personally love to travel, also to Barcelona, I can understand the anger of some locals, especially related to Airbnb, wild parties etc. If you are respectful, stay in a hotel and don’t disturb locals you are still welcome.
The risk to get pickpocketed or screwed over otherwise is much higher in Barcelona than in other places. Now getting water-squirted by moronic citizens which are too lazy to vote for parties restricting Airbnb is another risk to take into consideration. There are enough other nice places which are less risky.
Indeed, Barcelona is probably my least favorite major city in Spain. Valencia is much preferable if you need a beach—I don't, so I prefer Granada and Sevilla.
I know it's controversial but as a NYC resident, that's why I'm pretty happy they severely limited and cracked down on Airbnbs and vacation rentals. Yes, it makes it a lot harder for tourists to come and sadly only the ones with deep enough pockets who can afford obnoxiously expensive hotels can truly do it. But rents in NYC are already out of control, and if they were letting Airbnb proliferate, there would hardly be...
I know it's controversial but as a NYC resident, that's why I'm pretty happy they severely limited and cracked down on Airbnbs and vacation rentals. Yes, it makes it a lot harder for tourists to come and sadly only the ones with deep enough pockets who can afford obnoxiously expensive hotels can truly do it. But rents in NYC are already out of control, and if they were letting Airbnb proliferate, there would hardly be a single local in town.
Mass tourism is such a tricky problem to tackle, indeed for the locals and being to afford their own town/city, and also from an environmental standpoint.
The crackdown on AirBnB has also made hotel stays in NYC significantly more expensive due to the cut in supply of accommodations, thus further reducing tourism, something NYC as a whole can probably accommodate but it also will cost others there livelyhood. It’s a tough thing to balance
Less tourists is better for the average NYorker. I do appreciate there is some revenue but on the average tourists are a fiscal negative. Sadly, we had a Mayor years ago that wanted NYC to be tourist friendly at the expense of the quality of life of NYC citizens.
The high hotel prices in nyc is also due to nearly 50% hotel rooms occupied by illegals aliens who also in turn cause mayhem in the streets.
Imagine the outrage if nyc residents started squirting all the illegals with water guns!! They'd be prosecuted for hate crimes!!
Especially if the illegal aliens were trans or "Palestinian"!
(But it would be fine if they squired Jews with water guns. Encouraged, even.)
Back in the 70's tourism was known as 'the industry without smokestacks.' Since most smokestacks have been torn down, perhaps nobody understands the analogy.
Don't blame tourism for inflated costs. Blame your countries leadership. You ever hear of anyone in America blaming tourism for increased living expenses in NYC or Chicago?
NYC and Chicago don't have limits on building heights, Barcelona does. Look at the skyline photo of Barcelona below to see the issues around lack of housing for locals, when short-term lets for tourism are allowed to get out of control.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcelona#/media/File:Aerial_view_of_Barcelona,_Spain_(51227309370)_(cropped).jpg
You just made my point. Who controls building height limits? Not the citizens and not the tourists.
The bigger issue is illegal immigration. Illegal immigrants that are being generously paid their accommodation for by the state (so the tax payers) are occupying way more housing in Barcelona & the larger spanish cities than AirBnB does have listings for tourists.
And unlike those tourists, these illegal immigrants are a net money drain. They also undermine the wages of the natives by undercutting them.
Did you state that NYC does not have limits on building height? There are dozens of rules and codes specifying density, (FAR) and more. These are super regulated.
I just want to note that Spain has a really high unemployment rate.
That must be why these protestors wearing expensive sunglasses and sporting fashionable hairstyles are on the streets preaching their luxury beliefs when most other Spaniards are still at the office.
There seems to be a clear win-win-win solution here: There's countries full of beautiful scenery, incredible architecture, friendly people and fascinating culture and history... that are still emerging tourist destinations. Don't rule out a trip to Slovenia, Romania, Macedonia or other emerging destinations. Enjoy an equally lovely trip at a lower cost, and without the local community being mad at you.
First of all, these people are idiots. Without tourism, Barcelona would be a much poorer city. It needs to be managed better, but you can't just get rid of it.
Second of all, all people who participated in this "protest" should be arrested and charged with assault.
You are the type they want gone. Any tourist to any city has the right to call the protestors “idiots” but then again you are probably American and brought up with that stupidity
Doesn't the fact that you just said and I quote (literally)
"then again you are probably American and brought up with that stupidity" make you that same type of idiot.
I see you neglected to mention that DELTA AIRLINES with its well positioned fleet has captured the most premium revenue per seat of any airline in the world when flying to Barcelona. Naturally the locals are jealous that they don't have such a PREMIUM airline headquartered in their own country so they react violently against tourists. If they maybe focused more on profit margins instead of tourist problems they would be happier!!
Interesting that nobody has referred to the "squirting of water guns" as criminal assault, which it is. These aren't "protests", they're mass assaults.
Are police standing back or taking action?
I'm sympathetic to a population that hasn't enough housing but entirely unsympathetic to someone who attacks me with a weapon, no matter how childlike and "harmless". Signs and marching can lead to change. Attacks with weapons should lead to charges.
A very American response. Relax, it's water.
It may not have been. What if some random stranger approached you and threw acid in your face ?
These people are absolute morons.
Whilst there are many stupid tourists who have no interest in the local culture including Brits in Benidorm who eat fish, chips and curry, there are many who do.
By April this year tourism revenue was USD8 billion. Their unemployment rate is 12%. Clearly many Spanish don’t want the...
It may not have been. What if some random stranger approached you and threw acid in your face ?
These people are absolute morons.
Whilst there are many stupid tourists who have no interest in the local culture including Brits in Benidorm who eat fish, chips and curry, there are many who do.
By April this year tourism revenue was USD8 billion. Their unemployment rate is 12%. Clearly many Spanish don’t want the revenue and all those employed in the tourism sector including hotel staff, can look elsewhere.
According to your logic Thailand's famous "Songkran" festival where the locals & tourists alike squirting water guns at each other is a criminal assault too then!? So stupid.
@1.5 Not so stupid. There is a difference between squirting people who do not wish to be squirted and those at a festival where people voluntarily go with that in mind. When two boxers step into the ring it is not assault, when someone walks up to you and punches you without your permission, that is assault. And that is the difference between these two situations.
“The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain”….
Perhaps police and prosecutors in Barcelona have more serious concerns than some slightly wet tourists. The pickpocket situation is still out of control. The idea that they will get water squirters rounded up and prosecuted for spraying a bit of water on tourists seems either unlikely or a questionable use of resources for the circumstances.
And try being in India during Holi. Unlike with Songkran in Thailand, in India its colors and not just water for Holi.
No one tell this guy about the Tomatina festival.
Again, in plain English, the difference is intent. These protestors are using water pistols with the intent of causing distress. It's a deliberate act of intimidation. That's a completely different matter to attending a festival where the entire point is to throw tomatoes at everyone and get covered in tomato yourself.
You keep whinging like this and we're gonna throw tomatoes at you! You'll be happy to have a water gun to rinse off afterward!
Maybe it's over the top, and then in that video, I saw some of the tourists they squirted were at Taco Bell.
If you go to Barcelona just to eat *Taco Bell*, you deserve to be squittered on by a bunch of water guns.
Drunk me at Taco Bell at 2AM would probably welcome the water guns
I've lived in Barcelona for two decades. Tourism is absolutely an important part of the local economy but its contribution nowhere matches the disruption (e.g., housing stock becoming illegal Airbnb rentals), nuisance (e.g., visiting cruise ships create 3x as much sulphur oxide and nitrous oxide pollution as all of the city's cars combined), and organised crime it brings (e.g., 95% of pickpockets are driven by East European gangs swooping in).
Unlike most resort destinations,...
I've lived in Barcelona for two decades. Tourism is absolutely an important part of the local economy but its contribution nowhere matches the disruption (e.g., housing stock becoming illegal Airbnb rentals), nuisance (e.g., visiting cruise ships create 3x as much sulphur oxide and nitrous oxide pollution as all of the city's cars combined), and organised crime it brings (e.g., 95% of pickpockets are driven by East European gangs swooping in).
Unlike most resort destinations, Barcelona is a dynamic, thriving metropolis with millions of local citizens that try to work, study and go about their everyday normal lives. Maybe it's the warm climate, or preconceptions of everything-goes-in-Spain, but far too many tourists exhibit uncivil behaviour (public urination, black-out drinking) that they wouldn't dream of in London or New York. If the squirt from a watergun can put them on their best behaviour, then I'm all for it.
The kind of people who go in for public urination or blackout drinking are likely to be the kind of thugs who - instead of politely getting up from their lunch tables and walking away - will leap over the table and thump those young water pistol-toting locals. Not a good look for anyone.
I get that the locals are annoyed and frustrated, but this kind of protest will lead to a full-blown brawl soon.
Never underestimate the Brits and Scandi’s ability to drink until they black out, or the French ability to piss or shit in a drain
From a public policy perspective, I am often shocked how little thought and planning governments (national, regional, local, whatever) put into tourism when tourism is often the biggest industry in these areas. Locals in Barcelona are complaining about Airbnb and cost of living, for example. Fair enough. The government and local citizenry also benefit from tourism given Barcelona's great climate and history. Solution? Allow people to construct many more hotels and newly built short term...
From a public policy perspective, I am often shocked how little thought and planning governments (national, regional, local, whatever) put into tourism when tourism is often the biggest industry in these areas. Locals in Barcelona are complaining about Airbnb and cost of living, for example. Fair enough. The government and local citizenry also benefit from tourism given Barcelona's great climate and history. Solution? Allow people to construct many more hotels and newly built short term rentals so you can accommodate all of the tourism. Tourism is a huge industry - these governments should nurture it.
The prior mayor of BCN stopped the issuing of any new tourist licenses for rentals like AirBnB. Only rentals with licenses are allowed. Unlikely to find rentals without licenses though I am sure it happens. Also stopped the tourist rental of rooms in the flat where you live. As well as restricted new hotels.
If you want to stop the AirBnBs from taking over from long term rentals stop issuing licenses. That plus no...
The prior mayor of BCN stopped the issuing of any new tourist licenses for rentals like AirBnB. Only rentals with licenses are allowed. Unlikely to find rentals without licenses though I am sure it happens. Also stopped the tourist rental of rooms in the flat where you live. As well as restricted new hotels.
If you want to stop the AirBnBs from taking over from long term rentals stop issuing licenses. That plus no new hotels can also cut down on tourism.
The current mayor wants to cancel existing licenses.
Yes, tourism is a huge industry which is why good solutions don't get implemented. Venice has similar problems.
The reason they’re against tourists visiting is what I care about most.
In Barcelona’s case, it’s all about government policies and how they affect locals, not my problem and I’ll still visit.
Somewhere like Hawaii, on the other hand, is a no go for me.
If the locals are colonized and tourism is a big part of their oppression then I wouldn’t want to contribute to that. Same applies to Palestine.
The locals in Hawaii weren't "colonized"; their king happily sold his islands to the US.
Likewise, Israel is not a colonizer (and "Palestine" is not and has never been a country). The area "from the river to the sea" is the indigenous homeland of the Jews.
What are you talking about? The American colonists overthrew the Kingdom of Hawaii and the U.S. annexed Hawaii as a territory in 1898. The last ruler of Hawaii was a queen and not a king. Queen Lili’uokalani was deposed and forced to abdicate. No idea where you got the idea of ‘happily sold his islands to the U.S.’
@Eli
You seem to have not been taught about the history at all.
Also, even if the land of Palestine is somehow "the indigenous homeland of the Jews", that doesn't give Jews a right to carry out an ethnic cleansing and getting away from it. And I'm not even talking about what's happening since 2023.
I believe the ethnic cleansing title correctly applies to the barbarians that invaded Israel on October 7, raping, killing and putting babies in an oven alive.
Come up with a humane answer to who does this and we can discuss further.
No, it seems you, Mason need to read up on the history of the area.
No, there is no ethnic cleansing going on. There are millions of Arab Israeli citizens that go to schools and universities, work as Medical staff and bankers and live exactly as the Israelis they are. There are non citizens that often do terroristic acts against civilians and those in uniform.
Israelis did not rape and Israelis did not...
No, it seems you, Mason need to read up on the history of the area.
No, there is no ethnic cleansing going on. There are millions of Arab Israeli citizens that go to schools and universities, work as Medical staff and bankers and live exactly as the Israelis they are. There are non citizens that often do terroristic acts against civilians and those in uniform.
Israelis did not rape and Israelis did not bake live children in ovens. I am not sure whether those acts count in your book. You and your ilk seem to believe that stating and restating lies make them facts.
@Moe
Unfortunately, everything that you said to describe me is describing your actions and logic instead. Just check any history book that's neither from the US or Israel nor written by a Zionnist and you'll have the answer.
Typical fact-denying liberal. No wonder why even Trump and Republicans are gaining support.
Eli, it might be a good idea to read up on Hawaiian history. It was indeed colonized by the US but not in a traditional way and also not in a way that the local morachy accepted.
Ukraine insightfully Russian too yeh?
wrong
@Eli, I live by this motto and I think it’ll help you too - It is better to be keep quite and be thought of a fool then open your mouth and remove all doubt.
I believe you have accidentally accentuated your point by misspelling “quiet” :\
@Timtamtrak Thanks. What a travesty!!! But you missed the extra "be" as well.
I am sure, my poor writing skills are bigger issue than the bigoted and misinformed view of Eli, for which he seems to be very proud of.
Just raise the hotel tax and charge a foreign credit card tax. Then take the revenue and make the city more liveable for the locals.
Lol have you heard of the EU? The Euro? EU citizens are not foreigners in Barcelona.
When it comes to EU citizens who are not citizens of Spains, such EU citizens are foreigners in Spain.
A Swedish citizen who moves to Barcelona for school but has no other long-standing personal or family ties to Spain is a foreigner in Spain despite Sweden being an EU country. The “here for school” Swede without Spanish citizenship can’t vote in the Spanish elections for the Cortes Generales — because they are a foreigner despite being an EU citizen.
I guess this protest achieves its aim of getting lots of publicity so some people think twice about visiting.
A simpler solution would seem to be for locals to vote on bans on short-term rentals.
It seems short-sighted by the locals to take out their angst directly on tourists. Target the local-owned businesses who cater to tourist revenue and the locals buying apartments to list on AirBnB, by changing the laws.
This is happening all over. People are getting distracted by the media because it's Barcelona and not Mallorca which hardly made the news like this. Next week it will be Rome.
Bring this same energy with water guns to NYC or Miami and watch the blood bath that will ensue. Welcome everyone, a country or city doesn't belong to a single person or group. IDGAF if you were born there.
Also, I don't identify as a tourist. Please put your super soakers down.
That's definitely water in those pistols, right?
White wine is cheaper so maybe not. But urine is free.
At least it’s generally sterile
A relative lives in Barcelona. This is what's happened: Locals have bought up apartments and turned them into Airbnb properties. The supply of rentals has dropped significantly and rent rates have skyrocketed. That has trickled over to other prices. Locals can't afford to live there.
Seems like the solution is simple enough - build more housing.
Where, exactly? The central city has no room for development. You could build crap apartments way out in the 'burbs that will eventually go 'hood, not that any of this is a replacement for living in town. Greed on the part of some locals has bred resentment among the rest. Can't blame them really, though they're taking it out on a lot of the wrong people.
Where? The answer is simple. You build taller. Barcelona built 44k homes in 2008. By 2021 they were at 8k new homes per year despite growing by tens of thousands in population each year. Obviously that then makes the city itself more expensive and drives development of sprawl on the periphery, and that's what happens when you cap building heights. RE: AirBnB, there's about 10k AirBnB/rental apartments in Barcelona. Banning them and making them available...
Where? The answer is simple. You build taller. Barcelona built 44k homes in 2008. By 2021 they were at 8k new homes per year despite growing by tens of thousands in population each year. Obviously that then makes the city itself more expensive and drives development of sprawl on the periphery, and that's what happens when you cap building heights. RE: AirBnB, there's about 10k AirBnB/rental apartments in Barcelona. Banning them and making them available for residents to buy/rent is only going to magick up about 1 year's (inadequate) construction of new homes.
I'll also add that banning rentals and new hotels (like NYC did) hurts tourism in the long run. You get less tourists, and the only ones that do come are the ones able to pay hundreds of dollars a night. They're going to be eating at higher class restaurants, shopping at Gucci and Louis Vitton, and won't be doing much for anyone else.
The only anti-tourism measure I do support is limiting the size of cruise ships allowed to come in, since those actually are a blight on the environment and their ports of call with minimal economic benefit for the city.
Then it isn't exactly the tourists' fault. It's those locals and the government's fault.
Yet some people blame everything on parties that "look" like at a fault, instead knowing what exactly happened and pointing out them.
It's the tourist demand that's the underlying problem. That's what is driving the property conversions. The same thing has happened in many other cities.
I assume AirBnb's need to be licensed so limit the number of licenses issued. Crack down hard on unlicensed accommodation. Wouldn't that solve the problem?
Always an interesting discussion. On the one side, people love the tourist euro/dollar/ruble, on the other, people do not love the so-called "mass tourism". An obvious solution would be to increase prices (for hotels/restaurants/tourism taxes), so that some tourists will start avoiding Barcelona ("too expensive for me"). This seems to work its charm in (for example) London or New York. But on the other hand, the tourism euro/dollar/ruble is addictive, and they do not want...
Always an interesting discussion. On the one side, people love the tourist euro/dollar/ruble, on the other, people do not love the so-called "mass tourism". An obvious solution would be to increase prices (for hotels/restaurants/tourism taxes), so that some tourists will start avoiding Barcelona ("too expensive for me"). This seems to work its charm in (for example) London or New York. But on the other hand, the tourism euro/dollar/ruble is addictive, and they do not want the tourist to go to Nice, Albufeira or Rimini instead.
Problem: only the wealthy can afford to live in Barcelona.
Your solution: only the wealthy can afford to visit Barcelona.
Solve the problem by taking a benefit away from people, according to how much they can afford? Not sure I'm on board
@AJO - Raising the taxes on hotels may only increase the number of Air B&Bs. Many tourist stay at Air B&Bs because they are less expensive than a hotel and you sometimes have an entire home, with a kitchen to cook meals. That is one of the reasons we choose to stay at Air B&Bs. We go to the local markets to buy food, try new recipes, enjoy the culture.
I live in an...
@AJO - Raising the taxes on hotels may only increase the number of Air B&Bs. Many tourist stay at Air B&Bs because they are less expensive than a hotel and you sometimes have an entire home, with a kitchen to cook meals. That is one of the reasons we choose to stay at Air B&Bs. We go to the local markets to buy food, try new recipes, enjoy the culture.
I live in an area that tourist love in the summer. The number of Air B&Bs was starting to cause a concern with local residents. In response, the local government passed a law requiring all Air B&Bs to be licensed and restricted the number of licenses to fifty.
This may be a better solution to their problems and a better use of their efforts than attacking tourist and acting like bullies.
It'd be such an easy thing to fix. If you don't like cruise traffic, just raise port fees as a tax that goes back to Barcelonans in some way. And keep raising the port fees until you reach the desired equilibrium.
The whole protest is just a big cover for distraction.
You pickpocket them.
You rob them.
You scam them.
You pretend to not understand English.
You let immigrants do the dirty work.
They love tourists, the biggest walking ATM.
Don't let these thieves distract you with fake protests.
No, they don't love tourists, it's quite evident, and probably rightfully so
Easily one of the most ignorant posts I have read on this site. Based on your comments it is safe to say all US citizens are murderers.
The single most important thing to understand here is that we as outsiders, foreigners, have absolutely no voice in this as a local issue - much like we can’t vote in any foreign election that takes our fancy.
Travel is wonderful but we do it at the behest and the invitation of the local communities and countries we have the privilege of being admitted to.
So I’m not sure what comment here on...
The single most important thing to understand here is that we as outsiders, foreigners, have absolutely no voice in this as a local issue - much like we can’t vote in any foreign election that takes our fancy.
Travel is wonderful but we do it at the behest and the invitation of the local communities and countries we have the privilege of being admitted to.
So I’m not sure what comment here on this blog is going to achieve except skew comment to outsiders with little knowledge of the problem - I have absolutely no insight into the cost of living pressures of a Barcelonian nor would I dare comment on what they should and shouldn’t accept from tourism.
You couldn't have said it better. Yes, we Spaniards are tired of the massification of tourisms that is impacting negatively our daily lives.
@James -- well written and I agree.
When I see protesters marching and peacefully expressing their concerns and views, whether I agree or disagree, I have respect for them. But when they attack people, that cannot be tolerated, excused, condoned, or be sympathized with in a civilized society. These protesters are attacking human beings, insulting them, and disrespecting them. They are also representing their country, their community and their culture and have now sent this...
@James -- well written and I agree.
When I see protesters marching and peacefully expressing their concerns and views, whether I agree or disagree, I have respect for them. But when they attack people, that cannot be tolerated, excused, condoned, or be sympathized with in a civilized society. These protesters are attacking human beings, insulting them, and disrespecting them. They are also representing their country, their community and their culture and have now sent this impression to the rest of the world.
I live in an area that tourist love in the spring, summer, and fall. We love the quiet of winter. Most of the tourist are foreign. The number of Air B&Bs was starting to cause a concern with local residents. In response, the local government passed a law requiring all Air B&Bs to be licensed and restricted the number of licenses to fifty.
Protesting to their elected officials may be a better solution to their problems and a better use of their efforts than attacking tourist.
Our home prices have been rising, we saw many homes being purchased by investors to convert into Air B&Bs. We did not like it. Yet, we have never been nasty or rude to any visitors. We try to help those that look lost or ask questions or need help. We do this because, as a community, we believe in helping people, those who live in our community and those who are visiting. We have a sense of pride in this reputation because it reflects who we are.
Do the people of Barcelona feel pride in the reputation that this may bring to them?
Yes, they have succeeded in removing Barcelona from many peoples list of beautiful places and cultures to experience in Europe, because they may no longer view it as a place of culture and beauty.
James you are correct, "The single most important thing to understand here is that we as outsiders, foreigners, have absolutely no voice in this as a local issue - much like we can’t vote in any foreign election that takes our fancy". But as a human beings, we should be able to comment on how they treat other human beings.
Not to mention the environmental issues that mass tourism brings. Especially to more remote places that were once beautiful. Two that come to mind are Boracay in The Philippines and Ella in Sri Lanka. It took just a decade to destroy both regions. Boracay being so bad the government had to shut the island down for a period to clean the mess up.
Like everything, sustainable and middle of the road solutions are best....
Not to mention the environmental issues that mass tourism brings. Especially to more remote places that were once beautiful. Two that come to mind are Boracay in The Philippines and Ella in Sri Lanka. It took just a decade to destroy both regions. Boracay being so bad the government had to shut the island down for a period to clean the mess up.
Like everything, sustainable and middle of the road solutions are best. Limit development. Limit cruise ships. Give tourism taxes back to the people in education and infrastructure. When will people see that Bhutan has, in so many ways, provided us the model for years.
Yes, charging tourists hundreds of dollars per day simply to set foot in your country is the way. Do you hear yourself?
Yes, I do. And the fee has been reduced lately, fyi. As well it goes hand in hand with limiting development and assuring a balanced quota so that Bhutan does not become Nepal. The people are happy. Visitors are happy. Education is funded. And you have the happiest nation on earth.
I agree with You.
In the case of Barcelona, and also Venice,
they should place a tax on the tourist specially in the ones that visit one day or two. What You want to accomplish its too filter the type of tourist that adds real value to your economy and community. The tax basically encourages quality over quantity. Not all destinations are for everyone, and the benefits should reflect for the residents.
I say we all plan a trip to Barcelona and pack our own water pistols - fight water with water! Who's with me?! :D
1) do these people in Barcelona not go to visit other countries ever? I'm sure they do. So what's the problem?
2) I couldn't help but notice, but why is there a palatine flag at a panish tourism protest? I fail to see the connection.
3) I think spain needs to take a good look in the mirror here, it's not the tourist who create the problems there, it's the 100's of illegal immigrants that enter Spain weekly that causes the issue!
Anyways just my thoughts....
I think locals are in a much better position to determine the cause of the problem… 100s of immigrants vs 1,500,000 weekly tourists to Spain?
Really?
@Palty spot on
Yes Mr Trump?