Holiday Nightmare: A City’s War on Tourists

An unusual situation occurred on Saturday, July 6 in the city of Barcelona , Spain when a demonstration was organized under the slogan that the tourists “go home” .

The pictures show passers-by putting up security tape to prevent entry into the premises to others using water guns to wet To visitors.

In front of this situation, Barcelona City Council condemns the inconvenience caused to tourists by some protesters and asked that an attitude of respect be maintained.

However, it is not the first time in which episodes with these characteristics occur.

The same day, Around 400 people demonstrated under this slogan in Girona .

Previously, places such as Andalusia, the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands were also the scene of demonstrations against mass tourism.

The Civil Guard believes that they were 2,800 people took part in the demonstrations in Barcelona .

On another side, From the organization, they assure that there were about 15,000 according to the information retrieved by Infobae .

The protesters shouted that they should put limits to tourism, as they believe that the increase in the number of visitors has contributed to increasing property prices and this affects the quality of life in the city.

“Get out of our neighborhoods, tourists! Go home!” were among the cries heard in Barcelona.

Faced with acts such as the use of water pistols and adhesive tape to obstruct passage, Some visitors reacted by entering the establishments, in order to avoid crossing paths. with those who protested.

According to statements retrieved by the aforementioned media, an employee of a fast food chain said that “The police warned us 10 minutes before that there would be a demonstration, initially peaceful, and that they were going to put stickers in the premises” .

That led several tourists to enter until the demonstrators left.

“Nobody was too scared, some asked me what was happening, but above all they understood why” added the employee.

A woman taking part in the protest told Reuters that “It’s important to be here for two reasons” .

“The first is against the economic model based on mass tourism, because it makes us poorer and more dependent. And on the other hand, it has an effect on the price of housing which is now an alarming and worrying problem for the population,” he said.

Another was categorical in saying that “we come here to demonstrate against massive “tourism” in Barcelona (since) in recent years the city has become completely touristy.

“What we want is a city for citizens and not for tourists “he added.

After the incidents, the deputy mayor of Economy, Finance, Economic Promotion and Tourism of Barcelona, Jordi Valls, discussed what happened on your X account (ex Twitter).

“Protest against mass tourism must be compatible with respect for the people who visit Barcelona. This is a complex and global debate that does not want simplistic or accusatory solutions. Tourism is an important economic sector for our city . Since The City Council has promoted pioneering measures to manage it, improving its balance and social performance,” he wrote on the social network.

Under this line, he ruled that “The events that occurred last Saturday must in any case be condemned” .