Thousands of protesters marched Saturday in Barcelona to denounce mass tourism and its impact on Spain’s most visited metropolis, the newest in a collection of comparable marches within the nation.
Under the slogan “Enough! Let’s put limits on tourism”, some 2,800 individuals — based on police — marched alongside a waterfront district of Barcelona to demand a brand new financial mannequin that would cut back the hundreds of thousands of vacationers that go to yearly.
“I have nothing against tourism, but here in Barcelona we are suffering from an excess of tourism that has made our city unliveable,” stated Jordi Guiu, a 70-year-old sociologist.
With banners saying “Reduce tourism now!”, the protesters chanted slogans reminiscent of “Tourists out of our neighbourhood”, stopping in entrance of inns to the shock of tourists.
Barcelona’s rising value of housing, up 68 % previously decade based on native authorities, is among the fundamental points for the motion, together with the results of tourism on native commerce and dealing situations within the metropolis of 1.6 million inhabitants.
“Local shops are closing to make way for stores that do not serve the needs of neighbourhoods. People cannot afford their rents,” stated Isa Miralles, a 35-year-old musician who lives within the Barceloneta district.
The northeastern coastal metropolis, with internationally well-known websites reminiscent of La Sagrada Familia, obtained greater than 12 million vacationers final yr, based on native authorities.
To fight the “negative effects of mass tourism”, town council run by the Socialist Jaume Collboni introduced 10 days in the past that it was banning vacationer condominium leases — there at the moment are greater than 10,000 — by 2028 in order that they are often put again on the native housing market.
The announcement might result in a authorized battle and is opposed by an affiliation of vacationer residences who say it should simply feed the black market.
The Barcelona protests come after comparable demonstrations in vacationer hotspots reminiscent of Malaga, Palma de Mallorca and the Canary Islands.
The second most visited nation after France, Spain obtained 85 million overseas guests in 2023, a rise of 18.7 % from the earlier yr, based on the National Statistics Institute.
The most visited area was Catalonia, whose capital is Barcelona, with 18 million, adopted by the Balearic Islands (14.4 million) and the Canary Islands (13.9 million).
Source: www.anews.com.tr