The sun-drenched streets of Barcelona, long synonymous with vibrant culture and Mediterranean allure, echoed with a different sound this weekend: the angry chants of residents demanding tourists "Go Home!" Water pistols targeted bemused cafe dwellers, stickers plastered luxury stores, and red smoke billowed near the iconic Sagrada Familia. This dramatic protest is the latest eruption in a simmering crisis – Barcelona is drowning in its own success.
Tourism is Spain's economic
lifeblood, and Barcelona sits firmly at its crown. Last year, a staggering 15
million visitors – nearly ten times the city's population – flooded its
streets, drawn by GaudÃ's masterpieces, sun-kissed beaches, and buzzing energy.
But for many locals, this relentless tide feels less like prosperity and more
like an existential threat, squeezing them out of their own homes and
neighbourhoods.
"Your Airbnb Used to Be My Home": The Human
Cost
Marina,
marching with the crowd, held a banner that cut to the heart of the issue:
"Your AirBnB used to be my home." Her words encapsulate the core
grievance – skyrocketing rents fueled by short-term tourist rentals and an
influx of foreign residents seeking the Catalan capital's enviable lifestyle.
"We cannot live in this city. The rents are super high because of BnBs and
also the expats," she explained.
The struggle
spans generations. Young marine biologist Elena lamented, "Young people
can't afford living here or even normal things like coffee that are all really
expensive for our salaries." The crisis hits the elderly just as hard.
Eighty-year-old Pepi Viu was recently evicted from her home of nearly a decade
in a popular neighbourhood. She believes her landlord wanted higher rents than
her pension could cover. Now in a hostel, Pepi faces a market where prices have
soared almost 70% since her last rental. "I can't find anything... There's
only tourist flats now, but we residents need somewhere to live!" she
said, frail and leaning on her stick.
In the Gothic
Quarter, amidst the throngs of sightseers, Joan Alvarez fights a lonely battle.
His family has rented the same flat for 25 years. Now, his landlord has
terminated the contract, seeking higher returns. Most apartments in his
building have already been carved into lucrative single rooms. Joan's
tiled-floor oasis with its cathedral view remains one of the few intact family
homes. "It's not just about the money, it's the principle," he
insists, cats weaving around potted plants. "This is central Barcelona and
there's hardly any of us residents left. It shouldn't be like that... Housing
shouldn't be big business. Yes, this is his property, but it's my house."
Government Crackdown and Industry Pushback
Facing
mounting pressure, Barcelona's authorities took a radical step: a complete ban
on short-term tourist rentals from 2028, revoking licenses for 10,000
properties. It's a bold move aimed at reclaiming housing stock.
However, the
ban faces criticism from within the tourism sector. Jesús Pereda, who owns two
tourist flats near the Sagrada Familia, argues landlords are scapegoats.
"They stopped giving out new licences 10 years ago, but rents have still
gone up. So how are we to blame? We're just an easy enemy," he contends.
He believes digital nomads, not tourists, are the primary rent drivers:
"They earn and pay more. You can't stop that."
Pereda warns
that tourist flats help disperse crowds and spending across the city. Without
tourism, he fears an "existential crisis" for Barcelona, which
contributes significantly to Spain's GDP (up to 15%). If he loses his license,
he won't rent long-term due to unprofitability under price caps; he'll sell.
"Now we have anxiety," he admits.
Sunday's
protest culminated in chants of "You're all guiris!" – local slang
for foreigners – and firecrackers near the Sagrada Familia, where police
blocked access. Earlier, a flare was kicked into a busy hotel lobby, unsettling
tourists, including children.
Barcelona
isn't alone. Similar, loud if not huge, protests echoed in other Spanish
cities, Portugal, and Italy this summer. The message is unified: the sheer
volume of tourism is unsustainable, degrading quality of life, inflating costs,
and eroding community.
As Marina
stated, the goal isn't to end tourism, but to bring it to a "normal
rate." Yet, Spain braces for record-breaking tourist numbers this summer.
The path forward remains fraught. Barcelona, and Europe's other tourism
hotspots, stand at a crossroads, struggling to balance the undeniable economic
benefits with the fundamental right of residents to simply live in their own
cities. The cries of "Go Home!" may be jarring, but they are a
desperate plea for a city that still belongs to its people.