MWE Correspondent
In a powerful show of frustration, residents of Barcelona staged a dramatic protest on Sunday, demanding urgent action against overtourism, which they say is threatening their city’s identity, affordability, and way of life.
Protesters blocked access to the world-renowned Sagrada Família, sprayed red smoke into the air, and used water pistols to disrupt tourists enjoying meals along La Rambla. The protest’s chant was loud and clear: “Tourists go home.”
Organised by the movement Southern Europe Against Overtourism, the demonstration is part of a wave of anti-tourism activism spreading across cities in Spain, Portugal, and Italy. In places like Lisbon, Venice, and Palma de Mallorca, residents are also resisting the burdens brought by the tourism boom.
Barcelona alone welcomed over 15 million tourists in 2023, placing immense pressure on infrastructure, housing, and local communities. Critics argue that platforms like Airbnb have worsened the housing crisis by encouraging the conversion of homes into short-stay apartments for tourists, pushing rent beyond the reach of ordinary citizens.
In response, the city government has announced a sweeping ban on short-term rentals beginning in 2028, aiming to reclaim more than 10,000 apartments for long-term residents.
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This follows an earlier increase in tourist tax rates to manage public service costs caused by heavy visitor inflows.
Despite these moves, many residents believe they are not enough. One demonstrator, Maria Llorens, said: “We are not against tourism, we are against being pushed out of our own homes. We are being priced out, slowly erased.”
Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni has acknowledged the rising tensions and insists the city is working to achieve a balance between economic gains from tourism and the preservation of local life. “Sustainable tourism must protect citizens first,” he recently told Spanish media.
Across Southern Europe, the rise of the anti-tourism movement is a sign of deeper social and economic divides.
