In an ongoing struggle against runaway tourism, Barcelona residents voice frustrations over surging rents and housing shortages in a recent protest.
**Barcelona Residents Rally Against Over-Tourism**
**Barcelona Residents Rally Against Over-Tourism**
Residents Take a Stand as Over-Tourism Strangles Barcelona’s Housing Market
Protesters took to the streets of Barcelona on Sunday, demanding an end to the overwhelming influx of tourists that many locals say is pricing them out of their own neighborhoods. Armed with signs reading "Your AirBnB used to be my home," demonstrators voiced their frustrations at tourists who were filming the protests, with some locals jokingly spraying water at them from water pistols.
While tourism is a vital part of the economy—bringing over 15 million visitors to Barcelona last year—many residents feel suffocated by the sheer number of visitors and the rapid increase in living costs. Marina, one of the protesters, highlighted how short-term rentals have inflated local rents, making the city unaffordable for long-time residents. “We cannot live in this city... the rents are super high because of BnBs and also the expats who come and live here for the weather," she lamented.
The route of the protest led to the iconic Sagrada Familia, where young marine biologist Elena remarked that the local populace is heavily burdened by high living expenses—"young people can't afford living here or even normal things like coffee," she said. The issue touches all ages; 80-year-old Pepi Viu recently faced eviction from her home of nearly ten years, unable to compete with the rising housing prices that have surged upwards of 70% since she last rented.
In neighborhoods like the Gothic quarter, residents are also struggling to find affordable housing. Joan Alvarez, fighting to retain his family's long-held rental, points out that as landlords convert apartments into tourist accommodations, the essence of the neighborhood is lost. “It shouldn’t be like that. Housing shouldn’t be big business.”
In response to the protests, the city has proposed harsh measures to combat the housing crisis, including a ban on short-term tourist rentals by 2028, which could impact 10,000 landlords. However, the renting community sees this as misdirected anger; Jesus Pereda, a landlord of two tourist flats, insists that the real issue lies with remote workers moving into the city, not travelers. "They earn and pay more. You can't stop that," he stated.
The protest escalated with chants of "You're all guiris!" (a colloquial term for foreigners) leading to the use of firecrackers to express discontent as police blocked routes to major attractions like Sagrada Familia. Similar protests reverberated across Spain, Portugal, and Italy, indicating a widespread concern over the effects of mass tourism on local communities, with many people raising their voices in anticipation of a record-breaking tourist season this summer.
While tourism is a vital part of the economy—bringing over 15 million visitors to Barcelona last year—many residents feel suffocated by the sheer number of visitors and the rapid increase in living costs. Marina, one of the protesters, highlighted how short-term rentals have inflated local rents, making the city unaffordable for long-time residents. “We cannot live in this city... the rents are super high because of BnBs and also the expats who come and live here for the weather," she lamented.
The route of the protest led to the iconic Sagrada Familia, where young marine biologist Elena remarked that the local populace is heavily burdened by high living expenses—"young people can't afford living here or even normal things like coffee," she said. The issue touches all ages; 80-year-old Pepi Viu recently faced eviction from her home of nearly ten years, unable to compete with the rising housing prices that have surged upwards of 70% since she last rented.
In neighborhoods like the Gothic quarter, residents are also struggling to find affordable housing. Joan Alvarez, fighting to retain his family's long-held rental, points out that as landlords convert apartments into tourist accommodations, the essence of the neighborhood is lost. “It shouldn’t be like that. Housing shouldn’t be big business.”
In response to the protests, the city has proposed harsh measures to combat the housing crisis, including a ban on short-term tourist rentals by 2028, which could impact 10,000 landlords. However, the renting community sees this as misdirected anger; Jesus Pereda, a landlord of two tourist flats, insists that the real issue lies with remote workers moving into the city, not travelers. "They earn and pay more. You can't stop that," he stated.
The protest escalated with chants of "You're all guiris!" (a colloquial term for foreigners) leading to the use of firecrackers to express discontent as police blocked routes to major attractions like Sagrada Familia. Similar protests reverberated across Spain, Portugal, and Italy, indicating a widespread concern over the effects of mass tourism on local communities, with many people raising their voices in anticipation of a record-breaking tourist season this summer.
