Do They Hate Tourists in Barcelona?
Highly publicized anti-tourism demonstrations have people questioning their Spanish travel plans.
It’s the one question I hear over and over again. Is it OK to visit Barcelona? Usually, it’s followed up with something like, “I hear they hate tourists.”
The anxiety stems from a consistent flurry of anti-tourism news, including a well-documented series of street protests that went viral. In a remarkably successful publicity stunt, protesters surrounded by photographers squirted tourists with water pistols, launching a million social media posts. A few weeks later, Barcelona’s government announced plans to ban Airbnb and short-term rentals, another anti-tourism broadside.
Before you cancel your flights, a few things to consider. Like Barcelona’s reputation as the home to the world’s most artful pickpockets, there is a foundation of truth to the concerns. But that doesn’t mean it’s something that should have any affect on a visit to the city.
Like pickpockets, this anti-tourism vibe is hardly new. These publicized incidents were years ago, and yet they remain top of mind for many tourists. The tourism debate in Barcelona has been going on for decades, maybe centuries. Locals in the 1700s were certainly muttering about the invasion of Madrileños and French sunbathers filling the restaurants and taking the best apartments.
The latest anti-tourism sentiment is nuanced. In general, city residents understand that tourism pays the bills — it generated €9.6 billion in 2023 alone and employs 100,000 people, according to government reports. The protests are focused on the institutional mass tourism that has been encouraged over the years -- cruise ships, large tour operations and companies buying short-term rentals in bulk amid a general attitude that the more tourists the merrier.
At this point, it’s fair to say most Barcelonans do not believe that more is merrier. More than 12 million tourists visited Barcelona in 2023, and the city often feels besieged, especially in the summer, when the tourist areas are swamped by legions of frat boys and senior groups stopping by for a day or two amid their whirlwind 10-day Euro tour. The move to ban short-term rentals is a reaction to corporations turning thousands of homes into rentals, driving up home prices for locals.
As a result, yes, a large swath of the Barcelona population is irritated by the tourists. But Barcelona is hardly alone. Similar protests against mass tourism have been staged recently in tourist destinations around the world, including Valencia, down the coast from Barcelona.
But here is a key point: In pretty much any tourist destination on earth, it’s safe to say a large segment of the population hates tourists. Yes, it’s true.
I grew up in Del Mar, Calif., a famous Hollywood getaway with sandy beaches and a famous horse racing track, “Where the turf meets the surf.” Growing up, our motto was “tourists go home,” and everybody could spot the “Zonies” (the fine and upstanding citizens of Arizona who annually flock to San Diego and are really great drivers, despite what any locals will tell you.)
At this point, it’s fair to say most Barcelonans do not believe that more is merrier. ..
That’s the way it is in tourist destinations. And we all understand why people hate tourists. That’s because we’ve all been tourists. We’ve experienced that moment when we look around and are embarrassed by our own kind.
No matter what you’ve seen on TikTok or Instagram, Barcelona is not a cesspool of lingering anti-tourism bitterness. It is a complex, active, engaged city. There are demonstrations of some sort almost every weekend. Passions run deep. It’s a young city, home to several universities, and the youthful energy is one of the reasons it is not a stale tourist trap.
On any given day, you’re just as likely to walk into a pro-independence parade or a drunken drum group in town for a local competition as you are to find squirt gun-toting anti-tourism protesters.
Barcelona is not Disneyland. It hasn’t been cleansed for your protection. You’re going to find all sorts of dirty, smell and really annoying elements in the city. Get used to it. That’s what makes it Barcelona.
If you want to avoid unsavory anti-tourism elements, stay away from La Rambla and the outrageously crowded tourist areas. That’s a great start. There is life outside the hop-on-hop off bus route, and you’ll find locals in the neighborhoods much less annoyed by visitors.
Wherever you are, her, there is one step you can definitely take to dramatically decrease the odds that you’ll be bothered and it’s this: don’t act like a tourist.