From Rental Bans To Squirting Water Guns: Here's Why Barcelona Is Protesting Against Tourism

Despite increasing the tourist tax, Barcelona continues to have high rates of visitors. Thousands of locals marched calling for a new economic model that would reduce the number of tourists visiting the Spanish city.

'Let's Put Limits On Tourism': Locals Protest Against Rising Rate Of Tourists, Squirt Water Guns At Visitors

Under the slogan "Enough! Let's put limits on tourism", nearly 3,000 people marched in Barcelona to demand a new economic model to reduce the number of tourists visiting the city every year.

The protests, which also come against the backdrop of a higher cost of living, took place over the weekend.

Locals protested outside popular dinner joints in the city and chanted "tourists go home". Many tourists were also squirted at with water guns across the city.

Banners of "reduce tourism now" and "tourists out of our neighbourhood" donned the city as locals expressed their rage over the influx of visitors.

Ban On Short-Term Rentals, Hotels In The Works

Along with this, a temporary plan to ban short-term rentals in the city is in the works. Speaking at a city council event, Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni stated that the local government is working towards confronting "Barcelona's largest problem".

By 2028, the local government aims to implement a complete ban on rentals. As per Reuters, the city will scrap all 10,101 apartment licenses approved as short-term rentals.

Due to the coming of short-term rentals, the Barcelona Mayor added that the cost of supply has gone up by 68 percent for locals in the past 10 years. Furthermore, the cost for houses in the city have also gone by 38 percent, creating inequality across the city.

How Much Tourism Is Too Much Tourism?

In the past year, local authorities stated that Barcelona received over 12 million tourists. When it comes to Spain as a whole, over 85 million tourists visited the European country in 2023, an increase of 18.7 percent.

Apart from Barcelona, similar protests took tourist hotspots such as the Canary Islands, Malaga and Palma de Mallorca.

With high tourism rates, locals have claimed that the city has become "unliveable". High costs of living, rents and more have angered locals and each year the disparity in financial costs continues to rise.

In Italy, tourists are now charged an entry fee for coming to Venice, leading to backlash from visitors who find the price "unfair". Residents in Venice also protested against the entry fee but on the grounds that more needs to be done to resolve the issue of mass tourism in the hotspot.

In Japan, local authorities blocked the view to the iconic Mount Fuji due to over-tourism. Citing littering and overcrowding, local authorities stated that it is "regrettable" that the only way to improve conditions is to block the view of Mt. Fuji.