Tourists in Barcelona were left surprised recently when a section of people holding demonstrations against mass tourism targeted them with water pistols.
Demonstrators marching through areas popular with tourists, on Saturday, chanted “tourists go home” and squirted them with water pistols, while others carried signs with slogans including “Barcelona is not for sale”, reported CNN.
Thousands of protesters joined the demonstration against mass tourism in Barcelona recently.
Similar protests were also seen in Canary Islands and Mallorca.
According to reports, the demonstration was organised by a group of more than 100 local organisations led by the Assemblea de Barris pel Decreixement Turístic.
The Assemblea de Barris pel Decreixement Turístic claims that the visits of many tourists in Barcelona are increasing prices and even putting pressure on public services.
It has published 13 proposals to reduce the number of visitors and transition the city to a new model of tourism, including the closure of cruise ship terminals, more regulation of tourist accommodation and an end to public spending on tourism promotion, reported CNN.
Amid protests, Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni recently announced several measures to reduce the impact of mass tourism in the city.
“Our desire and commitment to limit tourist massification and its consequences in the city is firm. This is demonstrated by the measures we have taken and will continue to implement,” he said.
“As part of the Housing Plan, we will remove more than 10,000 tourist flats so that they can be returned to residential use,” the Mayor posted on X.
“We will increase the tourist tax surcharge to €4 ($4.30) per night, thereby strengthening resources to manage the impact of tourism. We will also limit the number of cruise passengers who do not spend the night in the city,” he said.
He said his government has launched a pioneering management plan for 16 High-Affluence Areas.
The Mayor said: “We recognize the complexity of this issue and reject simplistic solutions.”
