Protestors in Barcelona are pushing back against mass tourism with water pistols and marches through the city’s streets. According to the BBC, at recent protests participants shouted “Go Home!” at tourists filming them. Tourists at cafes and outdoor restaurants were squirted with water pistols, and a luxury clothing store was even covered in stickers, as protestors claimed the tourists inside were unwelcome.
Despite this, tourism is one of the most crucial industries in Spain, with Barcelona one of the top destinations for those visiting the country. The BBC says locals think they’re being “squeezed out of their own cities” as tourists continue arriving en masse.
Residents in popular tourism hotspots around the world are undoubtedly tired of tourists, but it’s not just the crowded streets and booked up restaurants causing issues. The presence of tourists in cities like Barcelona hike up the presence of short-term rentals in city centers, which in turn hikes up housing costs for locals. The fewer long-term rentals available, the higher the rental prices among what options are left.
“Your AirBnB used to be my home,” said the sign of one protester named Marina. “We cannot live in this city. The rents are super high because of BnBs and also the expats who come and live here for the weather,” Marina said. She said the goal wasn’t to put an end to all tourism, but to level out the rate. Other protesters’ signs called for an end to the docking of giant cruise ships, or suggested that over-tourism was destroying the city.
Many Airbnb, Vrbo, or other short-term rental owners continue to expand and capitalize on the influx of tourism in their cities, oftentimes purchasing multiple properties to rent out. According to Reuters, the number of short-term rentals across Spain has jumped by 25% over the last two years, suggesting more and more money-hungry residents are renting out vacation properties. In turn, they’re hurting their fellow Spaniards.
New measures in Spain hope to push landlords to switch to long-term rentals, as the country grapples with a deficit of 450,000 homes. In May, the Spanish government sought approval from parliament to pass a 21% value added tax (VAT) on short-term tourist rentals, a percentage that is double the VAT for hotel rooms.
BBC reports locals are being evicted from their properties, suspecting that landlords are hoping to charge more rent than they are able to pay, or turn the properties into short-term rentals. Landlords argued that expats earn more and can therefore pay more for rent.
To help local residents, some cities like Florence and Amsterdam have put caps on the number of short-term rentals or hotels rooms available to be rented out or newly developed.
