Barcelona Takes a Bold Stance Against Overtourism
An overwhelming influx of tourists in Barcelona set off dramatic protests by the residents, which involved taking to the streets as a rampaging mob with water guns and asking visitors to leave. It is merely part of a far broader tide of anti-tourism that has swept through the Canary Islands and Mallorca.
Barcelona is the major destination of tourists within Spain; therefore, it faces the biggest challenge of overtourism. An average of 32 million visitors go to Barcelona annually. Around 3000 protestors marched the streets of Barcelona with banners saying. “Enough! Let us put limits on tourism,” They demanded a new economic model to curb this influx and sort this big issue out.
The local people put forth their point by explaining how the surge in tourism has severely impacted their daily lives. In response, the Barcelona City Council has approved a tax increase of EUR 4 per person, effective in October. There is a big concern about the rise in housing rates due to the high demand for short-term rentals. So, earlier this month, Barcelona announced a citywide ban on all short-term rentals so that homes don’t get priced out at Airbnb and Booking. Mayor Jaume Collboni revealed that all 10000 apartments registered as tourist rentals will be returned to the local market per the new policy. The city will not issue any new licenses to people for tourist accommodations by November 2029, eliminating short-term tourist rentals entirely by 2029.
The city is strategising all this to tackle the adverse effects of over-tourism and is making sure that the residential needs of the locals are prioritised.
