Protestors Spray Tourists with Water Guns During Demonstration Against Overtourism in Barcelona

Barcelona locals targeted tourists, spraying them with water guns as they protested against over-tourism in the region last weekend.

In the video, demonstrators can be seen shouting “Tourists, go home!” and carrying signs that carry the same message.

Daniel Pardo Rivacoba, one of the organizers of the demonstration, said for The Washington Post up to 20,000 people from 170 organizations participated, adding that the decision to use water weapons was made by individual protesters.

“Getting water on your face is not nice, but it’s not violent,” he said.

According to a Spanish newspaper El Paíscommunal police estimated the participants at only 2,800 people.

Residents of Barcelona are protesting against mass tourism.

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The protesters, organized by the Assemblea de Barris pel Decreixement Turístic, or Neighborhood Assembly for Tourism Development, outlined their concerns in a manifesto released on Saturday.

The demands of the organizers, who were frustrated by the lack of housing and the cost of living, included limiting tourist accommodation and stopping the use of public money for tourism advertising.

“Tourism and hotel industry is a group that really earns a lot of money, but all people are in a very bad situation and do not have enough money to live. That’s the problem,” protester Joan Navarro-Bertran told NBC News.

Barcelona city skyline.

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Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni announced Saturday that 10,000 housing units currently used by tourists will be returned to the local population and the surcharge on the residence tax will be increased.

Rosario Sánchez, a high-ranking Spanish tourism official, told the The New York Times that the residents “did not say ‘no to tourism'”, but were looking for changes in the quality of life.

“Spain is one of the safest tourist destinations out there,” she asserted in an email. “Specific incidents with tourists are reprehensible uncultured behavior that has nothing to do with the reality of our country.”

Home to major tourist attractions such as the Basílica de la Sagrada Familia and Antonio Gaudi’s Park Guell, Barcelona has long been a popular tourist destination for international visitors. According to the Catalan capital’s official tourism website, almost 26 million people visited the region in 2023.

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Source: HIS Education