Tourism has played a key role in boosting the Spanish economy over the past two years. According to figures from the Bank of Spain (BBVA), the tourism industry will contribute 11.6% of the country's GDP and 9.3% of employment in 2022. International tourists will spend more than 125 billion euros in Spain in 2023, contributing significantly to the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, thousands of Barcelona residents took to the streets to protest, firing water cannons at tourists to protest against "overtourism" and its impact on housing in the city.
Overcrowding in Barcelona
Protesters marched through tourist-heavy areas of Barcelona, chanting "Tourists go home" and spraying them with water. Some held up signs reading: "Barcelona is not for sale." About 2,800 people took part in the demonstration, calling for a new economic approach to reduce tourist numbers.
Many people took to the streets to protest and drive tourists out of their country.
Diners at restaurants in the area were also sprayed with water and residents chanted "Tourists get out of our city." Many locals have become frustrated with the huge number of visitors flocking to this beautiful European seaside city, as rents and prices for consumer goods and essentials have risen.
The crowd also used thick tape to block the entrances to hotels and sidewalk cafes in the Barceloneta neighborhood, in an act of protest against the closure of those businesses.
Protest organizers called off their protests after 20 days because they felt officials “did not care” about their health, but construction on the hotel was halted over environmental concerns. Locals urged the government to abandon plans to expand the hotel, fearing overtourism would damage the island’s environment.
Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni has announced that around 10,000 short-term rentals will be phased out by 2028, but opponents say this will only lead to more hotels.
The Wall Street Journal reported that while Germany - the locomotive of the European economy - stagnated, tourism helped Spain become the fastest growing major economy on the continent. A report by the Spanish central bank (NBTW) in early 2024 pointed out that tourism has been the "key growth engine" of the country in the past two years.
Even though tourism is the engine of Barcelona's economy, the locals here do not let this overload continue.
According to the AP, Spain welcomed a record 85 million international tourists in 2023. However, tensions between locals - and especially the city of Barcelona - had been brewing long before that.
The number of hotels in Barcelona quadrupled between 1990 and 2023 to accommodate a surge in tourist arrivals from 1.7 million to 7.8 million in the same period. This does not include the millions who travel to the city’s suburbs.
Anti-tourist opponents argue that the result is that land prices have become so expensive that many locals can no longer afford to live in the city. Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni has admitted that rents in the city have risen 68% in the past decade.
Even those who acknowledge the economic contribution of tourism are less enthusiastic about the influx. “There is a growing belief that Barcelona has reached its limits in terms of the number of visitors it can accommodate,” the report said.
