Recent anti-overtourism protests have seen Barcelona residents take it upon themselves to drive tourists away, with around 3,000 people taking to the streets to voice their frustration at the throngs of tourists, throwing water in their path.
Cheering “Tourists go home” and holding signs with the same message and “Enough is enough! Limit tourism,” residents of Spain’s most touristy city took to the streets on Saturday. Police said 2,800 people took part in the protest, but organizers of the demonstration said seven times that number had turned out.
Beyond chanting slogans, residents began targeting tourists sitting on terraces with water guns until they got up and left. Chain restaurants including Taco Bell and Bibio Steakhouse were also targeted, with protesters putting up hazard tape around outdoor tables.
this is #Barcelona.
Imagine saving your hard-earned money to travel to Europe and enjoy the sights while contributing to a struggling economy.
Instead, they are showered with water pistols by people holding signs saying “Tourists Go Home.”
— Kumar Manish (@kumarmanish9) July 8, 2024
Barcelona has struggled for years to curb the influx of tourists. Cruise ships will be moved to Mol D’Adosat pier in the south of the city, a 30-minute shuttle ride from the famous Las Ramblas, and trips will be limited to seven per day instead of 10. Measures to deal with large tourist groups will be put in place for 2022, while busy bus routes will be hidden from Google Maps to help residents, especially the elderly, find them.
In the latest move, Mayor Jaume Corboni has pledged to eliminate short-term rentals from the city by 2028. 10,101 apartments currently licensed for tourist rentals are due to be delicensed within the next four years.
Rents in Barcelona have risen 68 percent in the past decade and the purchase price of an apartment or house has soared 38 percent, as an increasing number of apartments are bought or rented solely to be listed on platforms like Airbnb. “We are facing what I consider to be Barcelona’s biggest problem,” Corboni said in announcing the license revocation.
Other Spanish destinations are also facing the downsides of mass tourism: Residents of the Canary Islands went on hunger strike in April, citing frequent water shortages, developments such as golf courses and swimming pools that suck up huge amounts of water, and environmental damage left behind by tourists.
The coastal residential town on Menorca is owned by just 195 people but attracts 800,000 tourists a year, most of them in the high season from May to October. Visiting hours introduced last year had little effect, so the community is now working to win approval for a total ban on visitors.
Soon after, anti-tourism protests erupted across the Balearic Islands in May, with hundreds taking to the streets in Menorca, 1,000 in Ibiza and 10,000 in Palma de Mallorca. “Enough with mass tourism,” “Residents, SOS,” and “Go home” were the messages echoing among locals.
