Why are Barcelona residents spraying water on tourists? Explained

In a display of resistance to mass tourism, thousands of demonstrators marched through central Barcelona over the weekend, holding placards and chanting “tourists go home”. The protest, which featured participants spraying water guns at unsuspecting tourists, saw 2,800 people take to the streets, according to local police, as the city grapples with the impacts of overwhelming visitor numbers.

On Saturday evening, July 6, another anti-tourism rally took place in Spain, continuing the series of protests that have spread across the country this year. Demonstrators in Barcelona carried signs reading, “Barcelona is not for sale”, as they marched through the busy Las Ramblas district demanding, “Tourists out of our neighbourhood”. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp

Thousands of residents gathered in central Barcelona to protest against mass tourism, saying it has pushed the cost of rent and made the city unsustainable for people living there pic.twitter.com/L23UeXFY8g July 7, 2024

The march began at Les Drassanes at 6.30 pm, organised by over 140 groups, including neighbourhood associations and housing activists, as reported by Catalan News. Demonstrators argue that the influx of tourists has driven up living costs and property prices, deepened social inequality, and restricted housing access.

A wave of anger across Barcelona

This recent wave of anger follows a major protest on June 8, when around 3,000 young people took to the streets. Organised by left-wing youth groups, the demonstration addressed various issues, including housing to environmental concerns.

According to the property website Idealista, rents in popular tourist cities like Barcelona and Madrid soared by 18 per cent in June compared to the previous year.

One protester told news agency Reuters: “We come here to demonstrate against mass touristification in Barcelona. The city has increasingly catered to tourists, and we want a city for citizens, not just for tourists.” Another added, “Restaurants and hotels are making huge profits, but people are struggling to make ends meet. That’s a problem.”

Marti Cuso, from the Association of Neighbors of the Gothic Quarter, appeared on the Spanish TV show Els Matins to explain the protest’s motivations. He later posted on X (formerly Twitter): “I have tried to explain the reasons for the mobilisation of July 6. Tourism is not only a problem of massification but also of the economic model, impoverishment, and destruction of territories!”

Cuso also shared photos from the march, captioned: “Enough massification, enough precariousness, enough exploitation, enough destruction of the territory!”

In response to growing pressure, Barcelona’s mayor Jaume Collboni has announced a plan to phase out all short-term rentals by 2028 and reduce the number of tourist apartments in the city. Spain's Socialist housing minister, Isabel Rodriguez, has also backed these measures, emphasising the need for affordable housing.

Similar protests in other tourist destination

This weekend’s protests echo similar demonstrations in other popular tourist destinations, including the Balearic and Canary Islands. On May 25, approximately 15,000 people marched in Palma, Majorca, with signs reading “SOS Tourism” and “Let’s save Majorca, foreigners out.”

The following day, Ibiza saw its own protests, and in April, the Canary Islands witnessed locals voicing concerns about the impact of mass tourism on housing, the environment, and jobs.

Decoding ‘overtourism’

In 2001, Freya Petersen introduced the term ‘overtourism’, lamenting the excessive tourism development and governance shortcomings in the city of Pompei. Over two decades later, this issue has become alarmingly familiar in top tourism destinations worldwide.

Overtourism is more than just a journalistic tool to incite anxiety among host communities or to criticise tourists through anti-tourism activism. It transcends simplistic management challenges, although poor governance undeniably exacerbates the problem.

Governments at all levels must adopt firm policy responses to manage tourist demand, rather than merely capitalising on profits from tourism expenditure and investment. The problem of overtourism is often oversimplified as merely having too many tourists. While this is a symptom, it does not capture the complexity of the issue.

At its core, overtourism occurs when tourist demand exceeds the carrying capacity of host communities. The tourism supply chain often stimulates demand without considering the capacity of destinations and the impact on local communities’ well-being.

Cultural and social dimensions of overtourism

Overtourism is also a social phenomenon. In densely populated countries like China and India, crowded spaces are socially accepted, and overtourism concerns are rarely voiced. This highlights differing cultural expectations of personal space and exclusivity.

Interestingly, Africa is not typically associated with overtourism. However, unchecked growth in tourist numbers is unsustainable, whether in an ancient European city or a sub-Saharan savannah. Cultural clashes between tourists and host communities can manifest in breaches of public order, irritating behaviours, and inconsiderate use of space.

Strategies to counter overtourism

Radical policy measures to break the overtourism cycle are becoming more common. For instance, Amsterdam has banned cruise ships by closing the city’s cruise terminal. Tourism degrowth, which involves reducing tourist numbers, is proposed as a remedy. However, the economic trade-offs of fewer tourists are a significant consideration.

Some destinations, like the Spanish island of Lanzarote, are shifting towards quality tourism rather than quantity. This focus on higher-yielding tourists is mirrored in other places such as Bali. Dispersing tourists outside hotspots is another strategy, though its effectiveness varies.

Demarketing, or discouraging tourists from visiting popular destinations, has had mixed success. Social media influencers and travel writers often counter these efforts by promoting hotspots. In France, visitors are encouraged to avoid Mont Saint-Michel in favour of other sites. Introducing entry fees and controlled access, as seen in Venice, is another deterrent, assuming revenues are used effectively.

Advocacy and awareness campaigns, like the Palau Pledge and New Zealand’s Tiaki Promise, aim to promote responsible tourism behaviours. However, the impact of these campaigns remains questionable as incidents of irresponsible behaviour persist.

Comprehensive solutions

Addressing overtourism requires a multifaceted approach tailored to each destination. The tourism supply chain must share responsibility, redirecting tourism beyond popular sites to avoid shifting problems elsewhere. Local authorities must enforce capacity limits and be accountable for their actions.

Tourists themselves should act responsibly, as their behaviour significantly affects local communities. Investors in tourism should support initiatives that prioritise local needs over profit extraction.