Spanish local population shoots water on visitors in protests against mass tourism – national

The demonstrators used water pistols against reassuring tourists in Barcelona On Spanish Mallorca Island on Sunday when the demonstrators walked to demand a re -thinking of an economic model that they believe is nourishing a residential crisis and erasing the character of their hometown.

The marches were part of a coordinated effort by activists concerned with Ovitoridian treatment across the best destinations in southern Europe, including Venice, Italy and Portugal in Lisbon and many other Spanish sites.

“The pumpkin guns disturb tourists a little,” said Andrew Martinez in Barcelona with a muffled laugh after he was sitting in a outdoor café. “Barcelona has been handed over to tourists. This is a battle to return Barcelona to its residents.”

Martinez, a 42 -year -old administrative assistant, is one of an increasing number of residents who are convinced that tourism has gone very far in 1.7 million people. Barcelona hosted 15.5 million visitors last year, keen to see Anthony Gaudi Los Angelia Vamilia Basilia and Las Ramblas Promenade.

Martinez says the rent has increased more than 30 % as more apartments are hired in his neighborhood for tourists for short -term stay. He said that there is an impact on traditional stores that are replaced by companies that serve tourists, such as souvenir stores, burger joints, and “bubble” spots.

He said: “Our life, as residents of life in Barcelona, ​​has ended to its end.” “We are driving systematically.”

About 5,000 people in Palma, the capital of Mallorca, gathered with some water weapons as well as chanting “everywhere you look at, everything you see tourists.” Tourists who were targeting water bombings laughed. Balear island is the favorite of British and German pharaohs. I have seen that housing costs rise as homes are transferred to the short -term rental market.

Hundreds of others walked in Granada, in southern Spain, in the northern city of San Sebastian, as well as the island of Ibiza.

In Venice, a few dozen demonstrators canceled a banner calling for the stopping of the new hotel beds in the city of Lake in front of two recent completed Hikalin, one of them at the historic center of the famous tourist destination where activists say the last resident, an elderly woman, who was expelled last year.

The demonstrators in Barcelona blew a whistle and took homemade signs, saying, “Another tourist, and less resident. They commented on posters saying “to defend themselves for citizens”, in Catalan and “Tourists to return home”, in English, with a water pistol drawing on the doors of hotels and hostels.

There was tension when the march stopped in front of a large hostel, as a group of its water rifles emptied two workers at the entrance. They also stopped fireworks next to the youth house and opened a box of pink smoke. One of the workers spit on the demonstrators, whisk the doors of the youth house.

American tourists, Wanda and Bill Dorosinski were walking along the main luxury shopping street in Barcelona, ​​where the protest began. They received a stoch or two, but she said it was actually refreshing due to the Fahrenheit weather 83 degrees (28.3 ° C).

“This is beautiful, thank you, my love,” said Wanda to the decision. “I will not complain. These people feel very personal, and they may destroy some areas (in the city).”

There were also many demonstrators who had a water pistol that did not shoot passers -by and instead they only used them to spray themselves to keep cold.

Cities all over the world are struggling with how to deal with mass tourism and prosperity in short -term rental platforms, such as Airbnb, but maybe no longer was increasingly discontent as in Spain, where demonstrators in Barcelona took for the first time to shoot the font cannons on tourists during the protest last summer.

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There was also the confluence of supportive and anti -tourism struggles in Spain, where 48 million population welcomed the record of 94 million international visitors in 2024. When thousands walked in the streets of the capital of Spain in April, some held homemade signs saying “Get out of our neighborhoods.”

The Spanish authorities seek to show that they hear the general screaming while not hurting an industry that contributes 12 % of GDP.

Last month, the Airbnb government ordered the removal of nearly 66,000 holiday rents from the platform that it said had violated the local bases.

The Minister of Consumer in Spain, Pablo Boustandoi, told the Associated Press after a short period of the Airbnb campaign that the tourism sector “cannot endanger the Spanish people’s constitutional rights. Carlos Cuerbo, Minister of Economy, said in a separate interview that the government realizes that it must address unwanted side effects of group tourism.

Barcelona hall in Barcelona, ​​which amazed Airbnb and other services that help renting real estate for tourists by announcing the elimination of all 10,000 short -term rental licenses in the city by 2028.

This feeling returned to the strength on Sunday, when people carried banners saying, “Airbnb was your home.”

The short -term rental industry, for its part, believes it is not fairly treated.

“I think many politicians have found an easy scapegoat to contact their policies in terms of housing and tourism over the ten, 15 or 20 years,” said Airbnb’s general manager in Spain and Portugal, Jaime Rodriguez de Santiago.

This argument either did not flow to the ordinary population in Barcelona, ​​or do not hesitate to resonate.

Txma Escorsa, a Barcelona teacher, does not only oppose Airbnb in his mother city, he stopped using it even when traveling to another place, motivated by the principle.

“In the end, you realize that this takes away the housing of people,” he said.

AP Videojournist Hernán Múñoz contributed to Barcelona, ​​and the Associated Press Colin Barry in Venice, Italy.