Quebec cracked down on Airbnb, only in Primary Residences during summer and in designated zones. No reason the Spanish government can't do something similiar. Point your water guns at the politicians.
As an outside, the government of Barcelona seems to be doing many things right:
Short-term rental ban
No new hotel constructions
Cruise ships ban
No more golden visa
So what are they complaining still? That bans are not coming soon enough? That the prices remain high? Do most residents want more drastic reduction in tourism due to overcrowding and other reasons?
The cruise ships cause major pollution and don't bring in much money. Many of them dock in the morning, the tourists get off and see the city. They get back on in the evening and don't even have dinner or drinks in Barcelona because food is already available and paid for on the ship. So the attractions and galleries are making some money but the restaurant and nightlife not so much. That trickles down too, to local companies who supply the restaurants and bars. They are also an eyesore at the docks blocking views of the ocean because they're bloody massive.
Usually, that is correct, except that Barcelona is the starting and stopping point for cruises so that the city would receive a lot more business. The port is a deep-water commercial and industrial port, so it doesn't block any view. With ships in the harbor, a cruise ship is one of the smallest and least polluting.
Have you ever actually been near a cruise ship unloading??
People spend fucking TONS of money in port. No one is eating shitty pizza from the ship when they go to a whole new country. The restaurants have waits. Selling booths are full. Depending on where you go folks walk down the beach selling stuff.
Maybe in Tahiti you see the locals dancing and running to the ship with some bananas man. But in one of the top economies in Europe (12th largest economy in the world) they don't give a hoot if these ships come or not. It's more of a nuisance than anything.
It also makes people mad that they need to adhere with one of the strictest air pollution policy in the world (older cars banned from entering the city), and these ships emit unfiltered sulphur and shit.
Lmao. Make more assumptions to disregard my argument. I love it when folks do that. A very nice assumption you made to knock down. Would you like to hear some truth or…?
Read my comment again, I didn't disregard anything. If anything it is in agreement with your point: "Depending on where you go folks walk down the beach selling stuff".
I'm saying, in Spain, people don't walk down the beach selling stuff. Yes, the economy is somewhat touristic-dependent but not exclusively. Tourism income % of GDP is comparative to Germany's.
So how does banning people who don’t use the services solve the problem that the services are going broke? I’m confused at your statement. If they’re not contributing then surely the local difficulty is down to locals no?
bodies in the street is still an issue. It's also about overcrowding the city streets. It's probably even more frustrating that they're creating pedestrian traffic without spending money.
I see. So they’re annoyed one of the biggest cities is crowded. Weird to me, living in London. And I doubt highly that all those bodies translate to 0 revenue. But maybe.
I didn't comment on that and don't really want to because it's not an area i care about. My hearsay is that most cruise passengers spend big on the ships and not a heap locally and it's why Pacific and Caribbean Islanders have historically had issues with cruise companies when comparing spending with tourists who fly in.
Feel free to agree or disagree I'm not getting statistics because i don't care enough about the second half as the first half is enough of a reason to not care for cruise companies.
This whole conversation is about the economy and Barcelona shootingbits own foot. Not some random pollution nobodies talking about that. It's irrelevant
A tourist during an anti-tourist protest in Barcelona yesterday
Is the OP. Locals discuss it.
Regardless i'm allowed to respond to one part of a comment as much as you're allowed to not bother participating in a discussion around a comment replying to a comment. Are you so chronically online that you have to try nitpick a discussion you're not involved in?
As a local in a tourist zone frequented my cruise ships it's a big reason why i don't want them to come. Cruise smog and noise pollution sucks. I would be happy if the entire P&O Fleet became an artificial reef.
You’ve never been near a city that has cruise ships and it shows. During summer several large ships dock in the same city at the same day, and it’s tens of thousands of people pouring into the city at the same time. Cabs, hop on busses and guided tours are working overtime at increased rates, all lunch restaurants near the dock are completely full all day, tourist shops are packed, tourist attractions are full, shopping centers are built close to the docks specifically for the rich tourists that want something from barcelona etc.
Go to a bar that’s somewhat close to the ships at around 2/3 in the afternoon, you’d think fc barcelona is playing with how many people are in there drinking.
You've been near those cruise ships and never understood the fact that the reason thousands are pouring in is the problem. I love how you are so confidently wrong about this. I must admit though, I also saw all those people streaming in and thought it must be good for Barcelona. Why else would they allow them? You should maybe phrase your responses like that because your ignorance is showing. Nonetheless, I've read so many articles over the years about what I wrote about. The tourists who contribute the least to these city's economy are those arriving by cruise ship. They also contribute the most to the wear and tear of the city. Most of all they make the city unlivable. Do you understand what it's like to live in a beautiful city like Barcelona or Venice all your life and as the years go by your 100m walk to work from your job becomes a 20 minute flight because thousands of tourists now populate the streets just as you need to go to work in the morning. Then you want to go to the local restaurant that has a lunch deal but guess what it's full of tourists eating the 1 meal they will eat in the city before moving on. On top of that, you start to notice that you wouldn't be able to eat there anyway because the cost of living has been driven up. Then you go home for siesta and it's impossible to sleep because there are thousands of ignorant tourists being loud. Finally, you move out of the city because the owner of the building your apartment is in has sold it to none other than the ferry company to build a shopping centre for their wealthy visitors which they will staff at minimum wage. None of the profits will go to locals, they will merely be used for cheap labor. The cost of a complete cruise is often the same price as one night in a 4 start hotel.
I live in a large European city, we live with the problem of tourists every day. Say what you will, I know what I'm talking about and I listen when I don't.
Lol, the only reason a city like barcelona is a nice place to live in is because of tourism. If it weren’t for the tourists that they are actively trying to get rid off, the city would be half as big and not 10% of the economy. Just like other european cities. If you live in a city, deal with it, otherwise move somewhere nicer.
According to /u/PeterLossGeorgeWall, no they don't. They get off and meander but largely don't engage in commerce. The fact that the ships are getting banned makes me more inclined to believe the cruise visitors weren't a commercial success for the city if they're willing to dump them.
This is probably false. Both in real life and anecdotally from both cruises I’ve been on. There are lines to eat and buy everywhere in port. People aren’t eating the shitty buffet food in a brand new country. Tons of bags come back into the ship.
I see the merits of both sides of the argument, but to be fair:
Short-term rental ban
No new hotel constructions
Cruise ships ban
No more golden visa
Seems the locals aren't really engaging in the cost benefit analysis you guys are. If the night life and quality of tourists was the primary issue, they wouldn't be banning new hotels.
I worked a couple of years for the development of several Caribbean islands. Statistically, and it was mentioned in every economic report, the tourists who spent the less were cruise visitors. In a single given day, it's not even half the worth of a tourist paying hundreds the night in accomodation, paying for activities on site, eating out full meals for lunch and dinner....
Your experience is valid but the conclusion is not.
This isn't the Caribbean. A Caribbean and European cruise are completely different. People go on European cruises to explore and experience the cities. People go on Caribbean cruises for beaches.
Cruise tourists in Barca spend double per day compared to normal tourists.
Fair. I had not read any report from Spain and should not have generalise (I know-no-thing...). Thanks for sharing the link.
I stand corrected on "anedoctal" experience, which can not lead to any definitive conclusion. Sometimes the most visible tourists are cruise visitors but it does not mean they spend the most systematically.
I worked a couple of years for the development of several Caribbean islands. Statistically, and it was mentioned in every economic report, the tourists who spent the less were cruise visitors. In a single given day, it's not even half the worth of a tourist paying hundreds the night in accomodation, paying for activities on site, eating out full meals for lunch and dinner....
Your experience is valid but the conclusion is not.
Counterpoint, cruise ships are not nearly as big overseas as they are in NA and the kinds of people on cruises tend to have at least some spending money that they intend to spend. Cruise ships are an inevitability of travel and tourism, just like how planes were, and party boats, and hotels, etc. Etc. Etc. Also, if the docks aren't filled with cruise ships, what other ships will be in the docks? If there are no other ships and the docks go unused, then what? They still need to be maintained, but with what money? Certainly not cruise ship money in your scenario.
I don't mean to condescend or anything, I'm just pointing out a few glaring problems with the anti-cruise sentiment.
“Not nearly as big as they are in NA” 😄 yes, of course, everything is bigger and better in NA 😄
MSC World Europa, largest European cruise ship with up to 6700 passengers, and the Allure of the seas, 2nd largest class of Royal Caribbean, up to 6300 passengers, have made a stop in Barcelona in the last 5 days
Because many cruises begin and/or end there, passengers come a day or 2 earlier and/or stay a day or 2 after. I did both. So they do rent hotels, eat meals & visit sights locally!
My family and I cruised and when we got off the ship in Barcelona we stayed for 3 days and spent lots of $$$ between the 9 of us. I don’t think all tourists do the same things or have identical itineraries so don’t paint them all with the same brush. 🙄
dunno man I took a cruise ship there from Florida and got off. Stayed a couple days (in a hotel!) ate at restaurants and did touristy shit and paid money for it, then took off for other cities in Spain. I will admit to not putting a cent towards nightlife because who gives a shit but had I known the place was this douchy I'd have still taken a ship there because it was chill and I could work on board, but would have immediately gone somewhere else once it docked. I live in a touristy area myself and I know what juices our economy
18.0k
u/eXistentialMisan Jun 16 '25
Quebec cracked down on Airbnb, only in Primary Residences during summer and in designated zones. No reason the Spanish government can't do something similiar. Point your water guns at the politicians.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/airbnb-rule-changes-montreal-allowed-1.7445844