Thousands of people protest against excessive tourism in Barcelona, ​​the most visited Spanish city

The demonstrations against tourist overcrowding that have already taken place in recent months in the Canary Islands and Mallorca They have now arrived in Barcelona.

About 3,000 people took to the streets of Barcelona on Saturday night to protest mass tourism in the city, according to local authorities.

More than 150 groups, organizations and social movements demonstrated this weekend. Protesters They shouted “tourists, go home” and symbolically closed hotels and restaurant terraces.

They ask that measures be taken to stop tourism before a summer season that, according to forecasts, will break records both in the Catalan capital and in Catalonia as a whole.

Martí Cusó, spokesperson for the Neighborhood Association of the Gothic Quarter and activist against tourist overcrowding, declared: “We want the city’s economic model prioritize other much fairer economies. And for that we consider that tourism must be reduced.”

Barcelona is the most visited city in Spain and continues to fight against excess tourism. The city receives an average of 32 million visitors a yearmany of which arrive on cruise ships.

In response, the city council recently voted in favor of increase the rate up to 4 euros per person from October.

“What worries me is what tourism and speculation entail, the speculation that they are doing with the housing of the Spanish. The Spaniards have Right to decent housing“explains a local resident.

No more tourist flats

Barcelona city council recently announced a radical plan to eliminate nearly 10,000 licenses from the city of tourist apartments in the next five years.

The measure aims to address the growing national housing crisis, especially acute in tourist cities like Barcelona. Will give priority to residential use over tourism in one of the most visited cities in Europe.

The plan reflects a global trend of cities beginning to combat the effects of mass tourism on local life.