Attack with water pistols Protesters give tourists in Barcelona a cool down
Demonstrators give vacationers an unsolicited cool-down from water pistols.
Image: dpa
Many people hope that a "reduction in mass tourism now" will lead to more affordable living space.
Image: dpa
Go home, demonstrators demand of foreign vacationers.
Image: dpa
"More bicycles, fewer planes" is one of the demands of the demonstrators in Barcelona.
Image: dpa
A man and a woman on the terrace of a restaurant in Barcelona are apparently unperturbed by passing demonstrators against mass tourism.
Image: dpa
Demonstrators give vacationers an unsolicited cool-down from water pistols.
Image: dpa
Many people hope that a "reduction in mass tourism now" will lead to more affordable living space.
Image: dpa
Go home, demonstrators demand of foreign vacationers.
Image: dpa
"More bicycles, fewer planes" is one of the demands of the demonstrators in Barcelona.
Image: dpa
A man and a woman on the terrace of a restaurant in Barcelona are apparently unperturbed by passing demonstrators against mass tourism.
Image: dpa
Spaniards are increasingly protesting against the excesses of mass tourism. In Barcelona, they surprised vacationers with an unsolicited cooling off.
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- In Barcelona, thousands of people protested against the negative consequences of mass tourism.
- "Tourists go home. You are not welcome" was written on placards they carried. Or: "Reduce tourism now!".
- Because more and more apartments have been converted into vacation homes, costs are rising.
- However, many locals are not only outraged by housing costs, but also by environmental pollution, traffic jams, general overcrowding, water shortages and the overloading of the health sector and waste disposal due to the increasing number of visitors.
- Tourists were also given an unsolicited way to cool off - with a water pistol.
There is growing discontent in Spain about the negative consequences of mass tourism. According to the authorities, around 2,800 people in the Mediterranean metropolis of Barcelona took part in the second demonstration of its kind to demand restrictions on the tourism industry in the face of ever-increasing housing and living costs, as reported by the newspaper "La Vanguardia". Guests at restaurants, which are particularly popular with holidaymakers, were sprayed with water. Demonstrators wet people with water pistols - an unsolicited way of cooling off.
In recent weeks and months, there have been similar demonstrations in Mallorca, the Canary Islands and Málaga in southern Spain. Many locals are outraged not only by the cost of housing, but also by the environmental pollution, traffic jams, general overcrowding, water shortages and the overloading of the health sector and waste disposal due to the increasing number of visitors.
"Tourists go home. You are not welcome" was written on posters in Barcelona. Or: "Reduce tourism now!". Because more and more apartments have been converted into vacation homes, costs are rising. In the past decade, they have risen by 68 percent in Barcelona. Some long-established residents cannot afford such prices and are being pushed out to satellite towns on the outskirts of the city, while young people have to continue living with their parents.
Barcelona wants to ban vacation apartments
The tourist metropolis has only just pulled the emergency brake and announced in the fight against the housing shortage that the rental of vacation apartments is to be completely abolished by the end of 2028 by simply not renewing the permits. However, landlords are threatened with legal resistance.
The increasing number of visitors is blamed for many problems in Spain. Most recently, thousands demonstrated in Málaga against the ever-increasing number of foreign tourists and complained of an "invasion".
91 million foreign visitors expected this year
By the end of May, 33.2 million foreign tourists had already been counted in the country with a population of just under 48 million. Estimates suggest that by the end of the year there could be 91 million holidaymakers, who will pour around 125 billion euros into the Spanish coffers. The boom in tourism is also currently providing Spain with much better economic data than Germany, for example.