Barcelona Protesters Target Tourists with Water Pistols

In Barcelona, demonstrators have taken to the streets to protest mass tourism, using water pistols to spray visitors.

On Saturday, protestors marched through tourist hotspots, chanting "tourists go home" and wielding water pistols. Many carried signs proclaiming "Barcelona is not for sale," expressing frustration with tourism's impact on the city.

The demonstration, organized by over 100 local groups led by the Assemblea de Barris pel Decreixement Turístic (Neighborhood Assembly for Tourism Degrowth), drew thousands. Similar protests have occurred recently in the Canary Islands and Mallorca.

Nearly 26 million tourists stayed overnight in the Barcelona region in 2023, contributing €12.75 billion ($13.8 billion) to the local economy. However, the Assemblea argues that these visitors drive up prices, strain public services, and increase social inequality. They have proposed 13 measures to reduce tourist numbers and promote sustainable tourism, including closing cruise ship terminals and stricter regulation of tourist accommodations.

Barcelona's mayor, Jaume Collboni, has introduced initiatives to mitigate the effects of mass tourism. These include raising the nightly tourist tax to €4 ($4.30) and capping the number of cruise ship passengers. Collboni also plans to eliminate short-term rental licenses for over 10,000 apartments by 2028 to make housing more affordable. Over the past decade, rents have surged by 68%, and house prices by 38%.

Despite these measures, Collboni has faced criticism for hosting high-profile events like a Louis Vuitton fashion show in Parc Güell and the upcoming America's Cup sailing competition.

The discontent in Barcelona mirrors similar protests across Spain. In April, residents of the Canary Islands protested against the adverse effects of excessive tourism, including rising housing costs and environmental degradation.

Such grievances are common in many tourist destinations worldwide, which have seen record visitor numbers as the travel industry rebounds from the pandemic. While tourism boosts local economies and business profits, it also brings downsides: increased noise, pollution, traffic, resource strain, and reduced quality of life for residents. Many popular tourist destinations have implemented measures to address overtourism, such as introducing or raising tourist taxes and capping attendance at major attractions.