Barcelona is experiencing demonstrations against mass tourism

Under the slogan “Enough! Let’s limit tourism,” about 2,800 protesters marched along Barcelona’s busy coastal area, according to the city guard, demanding a change in the economic model and a reduction in the influx of tourists into the city. The largest number of foreign visitors comes from Spain, according to municipal data.

“I’m not against tourism, but Barcelona is suffering from overdevelopment, yes, because it makes the city uninhabitable,” said 70-year-old sociologist Jordi Guiu as the march began.

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Behind banners reading “Fewer tourists now!”, protesters chanted slogans such as “Tourists get out of our community” and stopped in front of some hotels, surprising tourists.

Rising house prices — rents in Barcelona have risen 68 percent over the past decade, according to the city council — are among the impacts these groups worry about most, along with the impact of tourism on the local business fabric, the environment or working conditions for its 1.6 million residents.

“Historic businesses are about to give way to a business model that is not what the community needs. People (…) can’t pay the rent and have to leave,” explained Isa Miralles, a 35-year-old musician who lives in the neighborhood near Barcelona.

Barcelona, ​​on Spain’s northeastern coast and home to international attractions such as the Sagrada Familia, had more than 12 million visitors stay in hotels, tourist homes and hostels last year, according to municipal data.

In order to combat the “negative effects of tourist overcrowding”, the City Council, led by the socialist Jaume Collboni, announced a few days ago its intention to eliminate by the end of 2028 the tourist apartments, which currently exceed 10,000, so that they can return to the market and increase the offer.

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The measure has already drawn criticism from some sectors, including the Tourist Apartments Association, which argues it will increase the illegal market.

The protest in Barcelona follows recent protests in other tourist spots such as Malaga, Palma de Mallorca or the Canary Islands, which gathered thousands of people.

Spain is the world’s second-largest tourist destination after France, receiving 85 million foreign tourists in 2023, an increase of 18.7% over the previous year, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE).

The most visited region was Catalonia (whose capital is Barcelona), with 18 million tourists, followed by the Balearic Islands (14.4 million) and the Canary Islands (13.9 million).