Tourism in Barcelona
Tourism in Barcelona:
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain. It sits nested between the sweeping Pyrenees mountains and the exquisite Mediterranean Sea. With a rich almost 2000-year history, not to mention plenty of attractions in the warm Catalan sun, the city seems like the ideal holiday destination.
However, for the local Barcelonan natives, they would forcefully disagree. Over the summer in 2024, protests broke out in the city streets emphatically against tourism in the city. Some residents even claiming, “that over-tourism is ‘killing’ the city.”
Too Much Tourism?
Tourism is usually seen as a good sign by governments, mostly as a supplemental revenue source. The influx of people in the city all uses local services while simultaneously spending external money.
However, problems arise when a place becomes subject to a phenomenon called “overtourism”. The World Tourism Organisation (WTO) describes it as "the impact of tourism on a destination, or parts thereof, that excessively influences perceived quality of life of citizens and/or quality of visitor experiences in a negative way".
Overtourism carries with it an abundance of associated issues especially to locals. Examples include extremely high house and rent prices, and the limiting of public spaces into commercial areas.
The Problems with Overtourism:
An obvious problem presented by overtourism is the pressure put on local goods and services. In tourist heavy areas of Barcelona surrounding the historic Old City, and infamous Eixample, the prices of eating and going out are skyrocketing due to increased demand, making locals pay several times the amount for a meal compared to twenty years ago
However, one of the biggest problems created by overtourism for Barcelona is the conversion of the local housing market. ‘Would be’ homes are being used or the purpose of short term stay rentals. An agent guilty of participating in this is the platform Airbnb, which has seen an extremely significant uptake in usage throughout the 2010s in Barcelona and the wider area.
This means that of the houses left, many are smaller, worse quality and extremely more expensive. Rent prices locally have increased by 68%, as well as house prices increasing by 38% as of 2024.
Success For the Locals:
In response to the protests in the city, many governmental approaches were taken.
In June 2024, the Mayor, Jaume Collboni, announced a scheme to end short term rentals by 2028 in the city. This would be implemented gradually over the course of 4 years aiming to convert rentals into long-term orientated housing.
However, due to the gradual nature of the scheme, the locals remained in protest. This was until July, where another plan was announced alongside the former. This plan would raise taxes on short stay docking by cruise ships, increases to nightly tourist taxes, and a limit on the number of cruises docking in the harbour. Overall, this was met with acceptance from the locals.
In the end, this time the locals have won in their conquest against tourists but going into the future, with the rise of inter-European coach routes, cruise ships and short haul flights; what is to stop overtourism from happening again, to place potentially closer to home?
Edward Hancox
Spain tourism: The protesters and residents pushing back on tourism in Barcelona - BBC News
Overtourism: Definitions, Enablers, Impacts and Managerial Challenges | Springer Nature Link
Why are people protesting against tourists in Barcelona? - ABC News
