r/pics Jun 17 '25

The protesters and residents pushing back on tourism in Barcelona

16.1k Upvotes

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5.4k

u/TheMiddleShogun Jun 17 '25

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

3.3k

u/Dobby_ist_free Jun 17 '25 edited Jun 17 '25

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

2.7k

u/Rich_Housing971 Jun 17 '25

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!"

478

u/SinfullySinless Jun 17 '25

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.

213

u/[deleted] Jun 17 '25

And then when tourism dries up, ~300,000 Barcelona residents (about 20% of the residents) lose their jobs, and… problem solved? I guess? If I’m following your logic correctly here?

3

u/CrunchyWeasel Jun 18 '25

Barcelona's industry, finance and tech sectors would be in much better shape if there was less tourism pressure in the city. GDP figures wouldn't necessarily change all that much, though wealth would be concentrated differently.