Demonstrations against tourist overcrowding that have already taken place in recent months in the Canary Islands and Mallorca in Spain have now reached Barcelona, the capital of Catalunya region.

As Spain’s most popular tourist destination, Barcelona, also struggles with overtourism. The city sees an average of 32 million visitors a year, many of whom arrive on cruise ships.

According to reports, on the weekend nearly 3,000  demonstrators rallied against mass tourism and its effects in Barcelona. The demonstrators marched through a Barcelona waterfront region with the banner Enough! Let us put limits on tourism, shouting slogans asking tourists to go home and calling for a new economic model that would reduce the number of millions of visitors that come each year.

Locals say that the tourism boom has impacted their life, housing and culture, pushing the public life to the brink. Reports say over 150 organisations and social movements took to the streets of Barcelona with some symbolically sealing off hotels and restaurant terraces.

In response, the city council has recently voted in favour of raising the tax up to EUR 4 per person from October. 

One of the protesters was quoted as saying that he is worried about what tourism is doing with the housing of the Spaniards. Recently, room rates have gone up significantly due to a widespread surge in short-term rentals that has adversely impacted housing space.

Earlier this month, Barcelona had also announced a citywide ban on all short-term rentals amid mounting concerns that locals were being pushed out of the housing market by rental companies such as Airbnb and Booking.

Jaume Collboni

Barcelona’s Mayor’s Jaume Collboni had said there are now over 10,000 apartments registered as rentals for tourists, and the move will see a return of property to the open market.

By November 2028, the city will cease issuing new licences to properties and not renew existing permits, meaning that from 2029 no homes will have permission to be rented as tourist accommodation.

In particular, the housing crisis in tourist destinations like Barcelona is a serious concern that the measure aims to address. It will prioritise residential over tourist use in one of Europe’s most visited cities. The plan reflects a global trend of cities beginning to combat the effects of mass tourism on local life.