How tourists are treated abroad:

Barcelona struggles with overtourism and its impact on the locals:

Barcelona is an incredibly popular tourist destination with a great deal of very popular tourist attractions, however in recent years Barcelona has been struggling with the issue of overtourism and this has caused the local population to suffer in these popular tourist hotspots.

The Cambridge dictionary defines “overtourism” as “the situation when too many people visit a place on holiday, so that the place is spoiled, and life is made difficult for the people who live there: Venice and Barcelona are both victims of overtourism. The effects of overtourism leads to negative consequences for both the environment and locals. Here are a few negative consequences of overtourism taking place in Barcelona.

Quite a sad effect of over tourism is the fact a place can lose its original identity Burgen (2018) from the Guardian highlights this “The saddest thing about all this is the city is rapidly losing its identity and becoming like everywhere else. A new word has been coined to describe this apparently unstoppable process: parquetematizacion- the act of becoming a theme park. Barelona has become an imitation of itself.” With this information its quite understandable that the locals would feel resentment towards tourists, even though tourism is one of the main contributors to Barcelona it doesn’t change the fact that a once historical town is losing its original identity.  Because of the influx of tourists’ businesses cater more towards tourists rather locals which means increasing prices and because of this the locals are feeling as if they’re being driven out of their own neighbourhoods.

Because of these factors the locals in Barcelona have developed a distain for tourists visiting the country this is known as “Tourism phobia”. A Spanish citizen Almudena Lpez Daz (2017) reports “I first saw this kind of graffiti about three years ago, as I waited for a traffic light to turn green on my way to work. Right in front of me, sprayed on a pedestrian crossing pedestrian crossing next to Sagrada Familia, I read the words “Tourist go home”. This was just the tip of the iceberg- angry graffiti and passive-aggressive messages started appearing all over the city.” The reasons why the locals might feel this way is probably down to the massive overcrowding and the troublesome minority of tourists who are disrespectful.

Overtourism can also have negative environmental consequences, such as increased pollution, waste generation, and strain on natural resources. Barcelona's beaches, parks, and historical sites may suffer from the effects of heavy foot traffic and littering, impacting the city's overall environmental quality.

In response to these challenges, Barcelona has implemented various measures to manage tourism more sustainably. However, finding the right balance between promoting tourism and preserving the quality of life for locals remains an ongoing challenge for the city. Effective long-term solutions may require collaboration between government agencies, residents, businesses, and the tourism industry to ensure that Barcelona remains an attractive destination while also safeguarding the well-being of its inhabitants.

Reference list:

“Overtourism | English Meaning - Cambridge Dictionary.” https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/overtourism. Accessed 1 Mar. 2024.   

Burgen, Steven. “How Tourism Is Killing Barcelona – a Photo Essay.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 30 Aug. 2018, www.theguardian.com/travel/2018/aug/30/why-tourism-is-killing-barcelona-overtourism-photo-essay.  Accessed 1 Mar. 2024.  

Almudena Lpez Daz. “Why Barcelona Really Hates Tourists, According to a Local.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 12 Aug. 2017, www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/barcelona-locals-hate-tourists-why-reasons-spain-protests-arran-airbnb-locals-attacks-graffiti-a7883021.html.  Accessed 1 Mar. 2024.  

Miles Cross