The most visited region of Spain in 2023 was Catalonia, with its capital Barcelona
Barcelona:
Thousands of protesters marched in Barcelona on Saturday to denounce mass tourism and its effect on Spain’s most visited city, the latest in a series of similar marches in the country.
Under the slogan “Enough! Let’s set limits on tourism”, according to police, some 2,800 people marched along a Barcelona waterfront district to demand a new economic model that would benefit the millions of tourists who visit every year coming would decrease.
Protesters hold a sign reading ‘Barcelona is not for sale’ during a protest against mass tourism in Barcelona
Photo credit: AFP
“I have nothing against tourism, but here in Barcelona we are suffering from an overabundance of tourism that has made our city unliveable,” said Jordi Guiu, a 70-year-old sociologist.
Carrying banners reading “Reduce tourism now!”, protesters chanted slogans such as “Tourists from our neighborhood,” stopping in front of hotels to the surprise of visitors.
Rising housing costs in Barcelona, which according to local authorities have risen by 68 percent in the past decade, are one of the main issues facing the movement, along with the effects of tourism on local trade and working conditions in the city with 1.6 million inhabitants.
“Local stores are closing to make way for stores that don’t meet the needs of the neighborhood. People can’t pay their rent,” said Isa Miralles, a 35-year-old musician who lives in the Barceloneta neighborhood.
The northeastern coastal city, with internationally known sights such as La Sagrada Familia, received more than 12 million tourists last year, according to local authorities.
To “fight the negative effects of mass tourism”, the municipal council of socialist Jaume Collboni announced ten days ago that it would ban the rental of tourist apartments – there are now more than 10,000 of them – by 2028 so that they can be returned. on the local housing market.
The announcement could spark a legal battle and is opposed by an association of tourist apartments who say it will only fuel the black market.
The protests in Barcelona come after similar demonstrations in tourist hotspots such as Malaga, Palma de Mallorca and the Canary Islands.
Demonstrators march during a protest against mass tourism in Barcelona
Photo credit: AFP
Spain, the second most visited country after France, received 85 million foreign visitors in 2023, an increase of 18.7 percent from the previous year, according to the National Statistical Institute.
The most visited region was Catalonia, with its capital Barcelona, with 18 million inhabitants, followed by the Balearic Islands (14.4 million) and the Canary Islands (13.9 million).
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