Protesters in Barcelona have begun spraying tourists with water as part of a protest against mass tourism. Protesters marched through popular tourist areas, chanting “tourists go home” and using water pistols, with some holding signs reading “Barcelona is not for sale,” CNN reported.
In Spain, thousands of people have taken to the streets in recent days, with similar protests taking place in the Canary Islands and Mallorca, to protest against mass tourism, which protesters say is driving up the cost of living and worsening the quality of life for local residents.
The protest was organized by Neighborhood Assembly for Degrowth of Tourism, a coalition of more than 100 local groups that say tourists drive up prices, strain public services, and that tourism benefits are distributed unfairly, exacerbating social inequalities.
The group has put forward 13 proposals to reduce tourist numbers and move to a new tourism model, including closing cruise ship terminals, tightening regulations on tourist accommodation and ending public spending on tourism promotion.
The complaints in Barcelona echo similar protests in other parts of Spain. In April, residents of the Canary Islands protested, accusing them of overtourism that is driving up house prices and harming the environment. Such issues are common to many popular destinations around the world that are seeing record numbers of visitors as the travel industry recovers from the pandemic.
While increasing numbers of tourists can benefit local economies and hospitality industries, they also bring significant drawbacks, including noise, pollution, traffic congestion, strain on resources, a decline in quality of life for locals, and a poorer experience for visitors. As a result, many destinations have introduced measures to combat overtourism, such as new or increased tourist taxes, campaigns to keep problem tourists away, and limits on visitor numbers at popular attractions.
