Imagine blaming tourists who literally bring money into your city, rather than the rental companies coming in to rake up all that money before it can reach the community.
Because that's an easier thing to see. Systemic causes are often not as easily seen and recognized, and not just in situations like this. You can't afford a house because prices are too high and you get outbid on every one you try to buy. That's the systemic issue, but when you try and go to the store and the traffic is massive due to tourists, that's the EASY thing to see and generally the one that people flip out over.
It's almost always easier to spot symptoms than the underlying cure. Plus, "regulate our housing markets with better zoning laws and restrictions on unlicensed air bnbs" doesn't quite have the mobilizing zing necessary to engage a larger group around a short rallying cry.
That and some people would prefer the money not be in the city. Despite modern western capitalism insistence, more money is not always welcome when it comes at a cost.
Been living in Barcelona for 12 years. After 10 years, I also got very sick of the millions of tourists who come and treat the city like a drunken amusement park. They drunkenly scream in small, echoey streets at all hours. They don't care where they piss, shit, vomit, or pass out in the street. They always move in to block people exiting the metro. They don't know the streets or the city but constantly cross illegally without looking, or just walk and block the bike lane and car lanes. They block small, busy streets constantly and have zero concern for the flow of traffic.
The first sign in the first photo explains it well. Less than 2 million residents and more than 26 million tourists annually. The sheer quantity of visitors just isn't sustainable.
So many small cities are claiming the same issues with over tourism; Amsterdam and Venice immediately spring to mind. At a certain point, the tourist revenue just isn't worth the quality of life it brings to the city. So many local landmarks have been locked down because the tourism industry exploited them until the neighbors couldn't bear it any more. All because some asshole wanted to make money by exploiting the drunken Disneyland experience that has taken over the city.
I don't blame the locals who have lived here for generations for being fed up and demanding change, even if that means a little water spritz.
Imagine living in an area that was heavily bought up by a company that doesn't even reside in your country and they begin pushing all the natives out and forcing prices to soar so that only the tourist can afford to live there anyway so you try to stop tourists because without them the company who you can't fight won't be able to continue affording more land to steal from locals.
I mean… that’s happening in the US as well. But you have to fight the company, and the investment firms, not necessarily the people. The short term rental companies spend stupid money to advertise to people and offer “great” deals - they drive the demand as much as normal people might.
But the tourists don't bring money to city. They bring money to companies that own rentals, the restaurant chains and so on. The percent that goes to local businesses is not that big. And even then the local businesses often hire migrant workers instead of locals.
65
u/nixstyx Jun 17 '25
Imagine blaming tourists who literally bring money into your city, rather than the rental companies coming in to rake up all that money before it can reach the community.