Barcelona Will Stop Encouraging Mass Tourism After Protests Against Too Many Visitors

Barcelonans made headlines when, earlier this month, they hosted anti-tourist demonstrations that included squirting tourists with water pistols. The city has become overrun with travelers in recent years, which saw some 26 million overnight visitors in 2023. Locals feel as though their city has been overrun, and as a result, the local tourism agency has taken an interesting approach: Visit Barcelona is dropping “Visit” from its 15-year-old slogan, Skift reported this week.

The decision comes as part of the agency’s effort to focus less on mass tourism and instead shift towards “quality” tourism, which implies targeting fewer visitors with the hope that those who do come will spend more, be more respectful, and engage more fully with the community and its cultural offerings.

Its not just local residents who have noticed the throngs of tourists in the city. Local businesses and government leaders have felt the pinch, too, and this year Barcelona joined several other popular destinations worldwide in implementing a hgiher tourist tax. Guests staying in hotels will need to pay 4 Euros per night, about $4.35, on top of their nightly rate beginning in October. The city also plans to increase the fee it charges guests staying for less than 12 hours in the city center, though the specific amount to be charged has yet to be disclosed.

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