Barcelona Demonstrators Protest against Tourists

[CCWineLover]

It's becoming a sign of the times, especially in Europe, as Barcelona expresses desire for tourists to go home.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/08/travel/barcelona-tourism-protests-scli-intl/index.html

 

Given that Viking ships go in and out of Barcelona so much, I wonder how this will affect things.

Of course it could also be just part of the European Protest Summer going on.

 

[farmecologist]

I'm not sure these folks realize how much it will affect their economy if visitors "go home".  A "be careful what you wish for" situation, to be sure!  At the same time, I get their sentiment...as Europe isn't what it once was.  The overcrowding does suck!

Edited July 9 by farmecologist

[Jim Avery]

Everywhere seems just too full of people. At some tipping point the problems with tourism outweigh the benefits. I think it’s happening in Europe for sure. The ever increasing size of cruise ships does not help either.

[Breckski]

I live in a tourist town where a lot of the "locals" are retired.  We certainly have issues with certain tourists and feel it's gone too far, but not to the point of throwing stuff at them.  We're limiting short term rentals as a method to limit the tourists as are many other municipalities.  Who wants their neighbor to have a raucous party every week.

 

The issue we see is that certain folks treat their vacation like the entire town is their personal resort.  Simply clueless as to their surroundings.  I occasionally see this behavior on a Viking cruise.  I can't imagine living in Barcelona, Venice or Amsterdam simply due to the number of tourists.  

[2blueyam]

A big part of the problem, at least in Barcelona and other places like Jackson WY is housing costs. Closer regulation of rental places and/or higher taxes on rental homes would help. Put the tourists on ships or in hotels, not rented out private homes and condos that should be for workers and full-time residents.

 

Other places like Santorini have a different problem, which is just too many people wanting to visit. It isn't a one size fits all problem or solution.

[Breckski]

15 minutes ago, 2blueyam said:

A big part of the problem, at least in Barcelona and other places like Jackson WY is housing costs. Closer regulation of rental places and/or higher taxes on rental homes would help. Put the tourists on ships or in hotels, not rented out private homes and condos that should be for workers and full-time residents.

 

Other places like Santorini have a different problem, which is just too many people wanting to visit. It isn't a one size fits all problem or solution.

Agree with the majority of what you say, but don't forget the impact of second homeowners.  The majority of single-family homes here, and I feel certain in Jackson also, are second homes.  I don't think the US mountain towns will ever have a high percentage of full-time residents.  I'm guessing there's a lot of this in Barcelona as well.  

 

So many folks have purchased second home and must have the STR (short-term rental) revenue in order to afford the second home.  As a town we've decided to limit the rentals, which will essentially exclude this type of second homeowners.  As these restrictions are relatively new (2 years), there's still much debate about what the restrictions will do to home values:  1) Increase as demand will increase for wealthy folks who want zero risk of a STR beside them; or 2) decrease as demand will shrink since you've essentially shrunk your market of potential buyers - folks who have to finance and use rental income for the mortgage payment.

[Hanoj]

Cruise passengers are easy targets since so many arrive at one time and are very visible, especially when arriving on floating metropolises. But like many protests, these efforts are inefficient and often misguided. For example, about 3 million cruise passengers called on Barcelona in 2023 compared to over 36 million international passengers arriving via the Barcelona International Airport. Even if these figures were adjusted for passengers included in each count, the air traffic, at over 10 times the volume of travelers, has a much greater effect on perceived overcrowding than does cruising.

 

I also wonder how much of the “overcrowding” perception has been affected by the reporting of the phenomena versus the actual phenomena. I think overcrowding has been around for a while, but in recent years it has gained negative connotations. If what was considered socially acceptable 10 years ago, is now exaggerated and cast in a negative light, this can affect perceptions when the underlying patterns have not changed significantly.  The belief that things have changed and that it is now problematic is enough to make it so for many people. 
 

[FoggyEthan]

51 minutes ago, Hanoj said:

I also wonder how much of the “overcrowding” perception has been affected by the reporting of the phenomena versus the actual phenomena. I think overcrowding has been around for a

From the UN:

 

 

The darkest red color is Europe, so if you look at it like the other colors aren't there, you can see that in 2022 the tourist numbers were recovering very well. 2022 is the end of this data. The 2019 numbers are double those of 20 years prior, which were doubled from 16 years prior in 1983.

 

Rick Steves (and I) really recommend trying out the cities that aren't the top A-lister cities. Spain has SO many places to see.

[kctwinmommy]

Yep, saw a post about this, and commented on it, on the Spain page. Like others say, it's a delicate balance of what's best and when it's too much. And yes, the housing costs are the big issue. But I saw that they are going to end the airbnb rentals in the next 4 years because rental costs were too high for residents.

 

We heard about this a bit in Sete as well. Our guide said during Covid, people wanted to get away from the city and then stay away, and housing prices skyrocketed.

[Harley57]

We visited Barcelona in 2008 and spent 3 nights staying in hotels prior to boarding a Mediterranean Cruise.  Even at that time I recall some vendors along Las Ramblas and in La Boquiera yelling that tourists should go home and leave them alone.  
 

I had hoped to return to Barcelona in late 2025 for a few days at the end of a cruise I am considering booking.  But I am thinking that with so many wonderful places in Spain perhaps we should visit other areas such as Madrid, Toledo, Segovia or Valencia.  We’ll have to give this some thought.  Any suggestions?

[CDNPolar]

Yelling at tourists and spraying them with water guns is not the answer.

 

This reminds me of cities some decades ago where protesters were spraying women (and men) with spray paint that were wearing fur coats.  These are the innocents in my mind, like the tourists.  If I can buy a fur coat, I might buy one.  If I can buy a cruise to Barcelona I might buy one.

 

In the spray paint situation we should have gone after the farming of fur bearing animals and the industry putting them in stores - not the individuals wearing them.  The damage was already done if I am already wearing a fur.  Stop the future, don't attack someone for buying something or going somewhere that is "acceptable" in society today, or was in the past.

 

Don't go after the tourists, go after your government and find a longer term solution to over tourism.

 

"Harming" tourists is not the answer.  This type of protest does not stop the next ship that is scheduled to dock in port.

[Mrs Miggins]

One of the issues is that cruise passengers typically spend very little money on land. How many times have we read “we went back to the ship for lunch”. 

[tarhoosier]

Regarding Barcelona specifically, the 1992 Olympic Games was the catalyst for the city to dramatically reshape itself. The goal was to focus on the natural advantages, less auto traffic centered, using the beaches and waterfront as playground rather than industrial, addition of green areas, and much, much more. I remember this, as prior to the Olympics I had only the vaguest notion of Barcelona, where and what it was. After seeing the city on TV, all changed.

This article recaps the event. 1990: 1.7 million visitors. Now: tens of millions. Their plan has been (too?) successful.

https://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/features/6-ways-the-1992-olympics-transformed-barcelon/

 

 

Edited July 10 by tarhoosier

[Tsunami74]

11 hours ago, Harley57 said:

 
 

I had hoped to return to Barcelona in late 2025 for a few days at the end of a cruise I am considering booking.  But I am thinking that with so many wonderful places in Spain perhaps we should visit other areas such as Madrid, Toledo, Segovia or Valencia.  We’ll have to give this some thought.  Any suggestions?

Valencia was a very nice surprise. Would like more time there.

Just one person's opinion (our tour guide), they welcome tourists and are looking to take some away from Barcelona. Of course, that was from a person who makes her living from tourism.

[CDNPolar]

11 hours ago, Harley57 said:

 

I had hoped to return to Barcelona in late 2025 for a few days at the end of a cruise I am considering booking.  But I am thinking that with so many wonderful places in Spain perhaps we should visit other areas such as Madrid, Toledo, Segovia or Valencia.  We’ll have to give this some thought.  Any suggestions?

 

I would return to Madrid over Barcelona any day.

I would also consider Sitges outside of Barcelona - beautiful seaside town.

[OneSixtyToOne]

Just a reminder for US travelers to enroll in the State Department’s STEP program. They will notify you of security concerns during your stay. For example, when in Santiago last year we got a notice of demonstrations in the downtown area. We were leaving that day so it didn’t affect us but it IS informative. Recently, for our upcoming trip we’ve received notifications of demonstrations.

 

https://step.state.gov/STEPMobile/Default.aspx

[FoggyEthan]

6 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

Yelling at tourists and spraying them with water guns is not the answer.

 

This reminds me of cities some decades ago where protesters were spraying women (and men) with spray paint that were wearing fur coats.  These are the innocents in my mind, like the tourists.  If I can buy a fur coat, I might buy one.  If I can buy a cruise to Barcelona I might buy one.

I suspect that they do it because it works. The USA mostly never banned fur coats, but they have almost completely disappeared. And the water guns in Barcelona will generate lots of coverage, and much of it will talk about how crowded Europe is and how there are other options than the big few cities.

 

And heck, it was probably really hot out, and the water gun will make a fun story for the innocent tourists to tell when they get home. 8-)  It's definitely better than throwing soup on art.

[CCWineLover]

14 hours ago, Harley57 said:

We visited Barcelona in 2008 and spent 3 nights staying in hotels prior to boarding a Mediterranean Cruise.  Even at that time I recall some vendors along Las Ramblas and in La Boquiera yelling that tourists should go home and leave them alone.  
 

I had hoped to return to Barcelona in late 2025 for a few days at the end of a cruise I am considering booking.  But I am thinking that with so many wonderful places in Spain perhaps we should visit other areas such as Madrid, Toledo, Segovia or Valencia.  We’ll have to give this some thought.  Any suggestions?

At the end of our 2025 cruise finishing in Barcelona, we are going back to Madrid and this time visit Toledo, Segovia, Zaragoza and more.   Sitges is a very nice town south of Barcelona.  Another fabulous town to visit is Tarragona, a bit further south.  A small Barcelona with few tourists!

[Hanoj]

We're considering an October 2025 Trade Routes cruise that is scheduled to end in Tarragona. When I first discovered this I was put off, but looking into that port, and now this, has me more favorably disposed towards eschewing Barcelona. Had a great time in Barcelona when our 2019 Mediterranean Odyssey cruise with an overnight terminated there, but we generally prefer smaller ports/cities.

[OnTheJourney]

22 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

At some tipping point the problems with tourism outweigh the benefits.

True enough. Places that might have years ago showed up in a book of "out of the way travel destinations" likely aren't anymore.

[OnTheJourney]

Wait till the Sagrada is (allegedly going to be) finished in two years. That'll be a major tourist draw. Already is, of course, but it'll be even moreso.

[Harley57]

Thanks to all for your suggestions.  I am also considering the Trade Routes of Middle Ages in October 2025 that ends in Tarragona (same as Hanoj). However it’s very tentative as I need to convince DH since we typically take one big vacation per year and we are already booked on In Search of the Northern Lights for February 2025.

 

[OneSixtyToOne]

36 minutes ago, Harley57 said:

Thanks to all for your suggestions.  I am also considering the Trade Routes of Middle Ages in October 2025 that ends in Tarragona (same as Hanoj). However it’s very tentative as I need to convince DH since we typically take one big vacation per year and we are already booked on In Search of the Northern Lights for February 2025.

 

 

This is a fabulous cruise. So many different ports and so much history to encounter.

Some of our favorite experiences:

Nelson’s Victory and Henry VIII’s Mary Rose at Portsmouth.

Visiting The Alhambra.

 

The Carthaginian and Roman ruins at Cartagena.

The medieval buildings and harbor of Honfleur and visiting Monet’s Garden.

 

The Van Gough and Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

 

The best preserved medieval city of Bruges and the best chocolatiers in the world.

 

Guadi’s architecture in Barcelona.

 

The streetcars of Porto.

It’s a wonderful adventure!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 10 by OneSixtyToOne

[Harley57]

Thank you so much for the info and pictures OneSixtyToOne.  Data is always very helpful when I’m trying to convince DH 

[Breckski]

12 hours ago, Mrs Miggins said:

One of the issues is that cruise passengers typically spend very little money on land. How many times have we read “we went back to the ship for lunch”. 

Don't know if I agree with this.  I think a lot of folks spend money on excursions.  Even if it's an included Viking excursion, they're still spending money in my mind.  And it seems like a lot of people buy souvenirs and would imagine Barcelona has a pretty high conversion rate for souvenirs.  Of course we may have different definitions of very little money.

 

I think a lot of people who go back to the ship for lunch are simply afraid to purchase food at port.  Various reasons:  unfamiliar with local customs, food safety, no local currency or fear of paying with credit card, don't like the food, etc.  But they will readily pay for a Viking excursion as it's 100% safe.  Remember, a lot of cruisers are not seasoned world travelers.