2024-07-06 19:52:14
Thousands of people demonstrated on Saturday July 6 in Barcelona against tourism in the capital of Catalonia which welcomes thousands of visitors each year, growing anger in Spain, a tourist destination the second largest in the world. Under the heading: ” That’s enough! Let’s end the journey »some 2,800 demonstrators, according to the police, marched to demand a change in the economic model for the city, the most visited in the country.
“We have nothing against tourism, but against too much tourism, yes, because it makes the city unlivable”, explains Jordi Guiu, a 70-year-old sexologist from Barcelona. Behind a flag “Take a trip now!” »the demonstrators were shouting slogans like “Tourists outside our areas”Stand in front of a hotel to surprise guests.
Critics of tourism mainly attack its effect on housing prices – rents have increased by 68% in the last decade, according to Barcelona City Hall – but also its destructive consequences on local businesses, or working conditions of local employees.
More than 12 million tourists in 2023
“Everyday businesses are approaching to make way for a business model that does not fit the needs of the community. Person (…) can’t pay the rent, they have to leave”complains Isa Miralles, a 35-year-old singer who lives in the Barceloneta area.
Barcelona welcomed more than 12 million tourists last year, according to the region. To facilitate access to housing for residents, the city council recently announced that it wants to limit the rental of tourist homes by 2029.
From the Balearic Islands to the Canaries through the main tourist cities of Andalusia such as Malaga, anti-tourism movements are increasing in Spain. The second largest tourist destination in the world after France, Spain welcomed a record 85.1 million foreign visitors last year. The most visited region is Catalonia with 18 million visitors, followed by the Balearic Islands (14.4 million) and the Canary Islands (13.9 million). Tourism in Spain represents 12.8% of GDP and accounts for 12.6% of jobs.
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