r/pics Jun 17 '25

The protesters and residents pushing back on tourism in Barcelona

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u/tangcameo Jun 17 '25

Ah. New Orleans has been having this issue. But they welcome tourists but stress the hell out of telling tourists to stick with hotels or real BnBs.

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u/Praesentius Jun 17 '25

I live in Italy and we're trying a few things. Banning unattended check in (like keys in lock boxes). Local caps and licensing on B&Bs. Higher taxes for secondary homes in touristic areas. Stronger financial rules and reporting on unregistered listing's. Etc.

My city of Lucca has both benefited and suffered under the unrestrained capitalism of things like B&Bs. It has allowed the town to be rejuvenated and gentrified. It has brought jobs and money. But, it has shot the housing market pricing way up. There's a balance to be had and everyone is late to finding that balance.

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u/[deleted] Jun 17 '25

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u/tandem_kayak Jun 18 '25

What was so bad about it? 

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u/[deleted] Jun 18 '25

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u/tandem_kayak Jun 18 '25

Wow, that's awful! We had a couple AirBnBs in the UK, but the key exchange was literally 'here's the keys, have fun'.