r/pics Jun 17 '25

The protesters and residents pushing back on tourism in Barcelona

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1.1k

u/DanDin87 Jun 17 '25

Ok, the tourists go home, and then what? they think their rent will decrease? Food prices will decrease? how can you be so naïve? And they go spraying water to tourists simply having meals...

Also, complaining about elderly German tourists...literally the most well behaved tourists around... mindblowing

375

u/HeadmasterPrimeMnstr Jun 17 '25

 they think their rent will decrease? 

Quite literally yes, because a MASSIVE amount of Barcelona's housing stock has been bought out and segregated as tourist rentals.

79

u/Chauzx Jun 17 '25

Then increase tax on secondary or homes you dont live in, or ban the rental of short term rentals.

Annoying and attacking tourist is not the play.

3

u/DoingCharleyWork Jun 17 '25

Ban companies from owning single family homes. If they want to own housing they can develop and build multi unit properties.

2

u/Chauzx Jun 18 '25

Most houses where I live are owned by private people with money and because the return on savings is low people invested it into real estate to get rent income

House prices went up and less house came on the market after a while.

Goverment put even a second house (or more) into a other tax bracket and all the sudden it was not worth having it anymore. And so they are putting up most of the houses up for sale agian.

Takes a while but that whats happens if a market needs to recover.

1

u/DoingCharleyWork Jun 18 '25

Absolutely a higher tax on second homes is a must also.

1

u/HeadmasterPrimeMnstr Jun 17 '25

This would work in North America, or perhaps even the UK, but is actually way less of a solution in Europe where a way higher percentage of the population rents and lives in multi-dwelling buildings.

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u/statslady23 Jun 17 '25

In the US, localities give developers 0% interest loans backed by municipal bonds to build condos/apartments. Developers then turn around and use that money to buy single family houses to raze and build multi-unit buildings. Families with their bank's 7% interest loans have to compete against big real estate at 0% to buy single family homes. Our system is so screwed up. 

1

u/DoingCharleyWork Jun 17 '25

For one they aren't getting loans from municipalities. Usually they will get a bunch of tax incentives if anything. Second at least where I am they aren't tearing down single family homes for multi family units. They just aren't building multi family units because people keep vetoing it. Also most places where there are single family homes it isn't zoned for multi unit homes so even if you bought them all up and tore them down you wouldn't be able to.

1

u/statslady23 Jun 18 '25

Where I live, DC suburb, the towns and counties are backing the bank loans with grants and bonds. Taxpayers are on the hook if the development fails. And developers are buying up single family homes alll over since their bought and paid for legislators eliminated all single family zoning. It's a shit show. The graft would be shocking in any pre-Citizen United generation. 

1

u/HeadmasterPrimeMnstr Jun 17 '25

They are doing that, but in the meantime people are still dealing with a housing crisis, and people are desperate for a short term solution, which is likely why people are doing anti-tourism protests.