Thousands of protesters marched in Barcelona on Saturday to denounce mass tourism and its impact on Spain’s most visited city, the latest in a series of similar marches across the country.
Chanting slogans such as “Enough! Let’s put limits on tourism”, around 2,800 people, according to police, marched in Barcelona’s waterfront district, demanding a new economic model that would reduce the number of millions of tourists who visit each year.
Protesters hold a sign reading ‘Barcelona is not for sale’ during a demonstration against mass tourism in Barcelona.
Photo Credit: AFP
“I’m not against tourism, but here in Barcelona we suffer from overtourism, which has made our city unlivable,” said Jordi Guiu, a 70-year-old sociologist.
Carrying banners such as “Reduce tourism now”, protesters chanted slogans such as “Get tourists out of our area” and stopped in front of hotels, surprising visitors.
The rising cost of housing in Barcelona, ​​which has risen by 68 percent in the last decade according to local authorities, is one of the main issues for the movement, as well as the impact of tourism on local commerce and working conditions in a city of 1.6 million inhabitants.
“Local shops are closing and being replaced by shops that don’t meet the needs of the neighbourhood. People can’t pay their rent,” said Isa Miralles, a 35-year-old musician who lives in the Barceloneta district.
This northeastern coastal city, home to internationally renowned landmarks such as La Sagrada Familia, received more than 12 million tourists last year, according to local authorities.
To combat the “negative effects of mass tourism”, the city council, run by socialist Jaume Collboni, announced 10 days ago that it was banning the renting of apartments to tourists by 2028 – there are currently more than 10,000 such apartments – in order to channel them back into the local housing market.
The announcement could trigger a legal battle and an association of tourist apartments has opposed it, saying it will only encourage black marketing.
The protests in Barcelona follow similar demonstrations in tourist hotspots such as Malaga, Palma de Mallorca and the Canary Islands.
Protesters demonstrate against mass tourism in Barcelona
Photo Credit: AFP
Spain, the second-most visited country after France, received 85 million foreign tourists in 2023, an increase of 18.7 percent compared to the previous year, according to the National Statistics Institute.
The most visited region was Catalonia, whose capital is Barcelona, ​​with 18 million visitors, followed by the Balearic Islands (14.4 million) and the Canary Islands (13.9 million).
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