Sarah Hooper Published on July 8, 2024 at 9:23 am | Updated on July 8, 2024 at 10:16 am Expand
People hoping for a peaceful holiday in Barcelona were greeted instead with water pistols as locals protested, enraged by the massive influx of tourists.
Thousands of people have protested against the influx of tourists in the Spanish town, pelting diners in popular areas with water pistols and yelling “go home”.
Spanish citizens are fed up with the lack of affordable housing in cities, and the mayor of Barcelona has promised to end short-term tourist rentals within five years.
The drastic move comes in response to rising rent prices in the city, leaving locals struggling to find a place to live.
Last year, 15.6 million tourists visited Barcelona, ​​one of the world’s most vibrant beach cities.
Rents in Barcelona have risen 68% over the past decade, while the cost of buying a home has increased 38%.
They shouted “Tourists go home” and “Barcelona is not for sale” (Photo: Rex)
A large number of police officers were monitoring the situation (Photo: Rex)
The result? Enraged locals have staged mass protests in some of Spain’s most popular tourist destinations.
Barcelona is not the only city seeing anti-tourism protests: residents of Mallorca last month blocked off an Instagram-famous beach, chanting “tourists go home”.
Anti-overtourism protests have been ongoing in Barcelona since 2018, and in March of this year, riot police clashed with protesters shouting “Barcelona is not for sale.”
Police are believed to have hit a man and two women with batons, with the man being handcuffed after punching an officer.
Protesters also took to the streets of the Greek capital in May, smearing graffiti at holidaymakers.
However, Spain’s tourism industry generates around 15% of the country’s GDP and is expected to hit a record high in August 2023.
Thousands of people rallied in the streets of Barcelona (Photo: Reuters)
Some protesters brought water pistols (Photo: Reuters)
Short-term rentals and tourist attractions in the city may be a way to make money, but locals are tired of them.
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This weekend, 2,800 people took part in a demonstration in Barcelona against tourism and housing issues.
Slogans such as “Barcelona is not for sale” and “Tourists go home” were widely chanted.
“Local shops are closing to make way for others that don’t serve the needs of the local population. People can’t afford the rent,” resident Isa Miralles told Reuters.
Critics of the protests have described them as short-sighted and counterproductive.
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