Tourists Go Home: Spain’s Pushback on Visitors

Everyone loves a holiday, and whether you choose to relax on a beach, getaway to a city or explore nature, you know you’re going to leave feeling refreshed. But if you were a tourist in Barcelona this year, you might have left a little more refreshed than you bargained for, with several tourists being made victim to ‘water gun’ protests.

Barcelona is far from the only European city showing their dislike to visitors, but Spain has been at the forefront of anti-tourist movements over the summer. The main concerns, as highlighted by the Guardian, are around the quantity of visitors, anti-social behaviour, and rising housing prices caused by short-term rentals. Protest techniques have included demonstrations, stickers, switching signs and graffiti, with slogans including “Pickpockets welcome” and “We spit in your beer. Cheers!”.

Many travellers have pushed back against the protest movements, with some claiming their contribution to Spain’s economy should be more valued. But some cities have reached their threshold, with one resident saying that her city Palma, Majorca, has been “invaded”. Pere Joan Femenia, a member of the “Menys Turisme, Més Vida” (“Less Tourism, More Life”) movement, claimed it is a myth that tourism is needed and fears tourists are outcompeting locals for housing and increasing pressure on public services.

Cultural erosion is also a key cause of “turismofobia”, a Spanish term given to growing fear and resentment towards tourists. Cities previously steeped in culture are now required to give tourists the experience they expect, whether this is accurate or not. Tourist shops are one clear example of this, with mass-produced synthetic flamenco dresses now lining the streets of many cities. Many global corporations are also keen to cash in on tourist hotspots regardless of their cultural significance, with American chain Taco Bell now being placed next to the “Basílica de la Sagrada Família” in Barcelona.

A particularly interesting cause of resentment, coined by spokesperson for UNESCO Peter DeBrine, is “selfie-motivated tourism”, in which large groups of tourists appear to visit locations solely for a photo. Locals feel online worlds are being prioritised over their real one, with one TikTok trend of a Metro escalator which emerged onto the “Basílica de la Sagrada Família” leading to posters and security guards being necessary.

Maybe water guns aren’t the answer, but it is clear that something needs to change. As DeBrine went on to say, “better places to live are better places to visit.”