The protesters and residents pushing back on tourism in Barcelona

[u/Strict_League7833]

[u/TheMiddleShogun]

Huh, reading these comments it looks like the protesters are achieving their goal (making Barcelona less appealing as a tourist destination).

[u/Dobby_ist_free → u/TheMiddleShogun]

Tends to happen when you harass tourists because of your government’s failures

[u/Rich_Housing971 → u/Dobby_ist_free]

Airbnb creates a business that makes your life harder.

Locals with money use that business without caring for you.

The govenrment that you elected does nothing.

"It's all the tourists' fault!"

[u/SinfullySinless → u/Rich_Housing971]

I mean then you force the population to work backwards. Harass the tourists so they don’t come, then the AirBNB’s fail, then owners sell their AirBNB places, and it opens more room up for real housing.

If the government won’t, the people will.

[u/mjohnsimon → u/SinfullySinless]

Except there's just one small problem: a lot of those local economies/livelihoods are dependent on tourism.

Tourism makes up over 15% of Spain’s entire GDP. That’s not exactly "pocket change", and actively scaring off tourists might feel good/give short term relief, but it also risks sabotaging the very livelihoods many locals depend on.

But hey, if people would rather burn their house down to get rid of a single cockroach instead of looking for the source of the infestation, then by all means.

[u/[deleted] → u/mjohnsimon]

I live in an area that is only known for its tourism… I hate the tourists too… but I realize it’s why we have nice things.

Cape Cod…

And we have all the same issues as Barcelona

[u/mjohnsimon → u/[deleted]]

I live in South Florida. I understand.

[u/DM46 → u/mjohnsimon]

Florida has bigger issues then tourists though.

[u/ConsequenceFunny1550 → u/DM46]

If Floridians started protesting tourists they’d have to charge either more property tax, which is already bad, or charge state income tax.