Tourism in Barcelona: a concern even for the European Tourist Industry

Not only is tourism and its consequences a concern for many locals in Barcelona, but also one for the tourism industry itself.

In an interview with ACN, Tim Fairhurst, representative for the tourism lobby in Brussels, recognises that the Catalan capital is a “victim of its own success”, something triggered by the city bidding to host the Olympic games in 1992.

With 1.62 million people living in Barcelona, the city hotels welcomed 8 million visitors in 2018—additionally, other means of lodging such as cruise ships and rental apartments easily double this figure. 

Fairhust warns that the increase in rental prices and displacement of locals due to gentrification in some areas has created worry that the city is losing some of its charm. 

Fairhurst encourages a more strategic approach in order to reap the economic rewards of tourism, while mitigating its negative impact, underlining the importance of the “quality of the experience”.  

He also assures that the sector is looking to diversify product so that tourism was not as geographically concentrated. He also highlighted that some European cities are trying to enforce control over the types of shops and services a city has.  

Tourismophobia

A feeling of resentment towards tourism has developed among locals living in some of the most crowded neighborhoods, such as the Gothic Quarter and ‘La Barceloneta’.  

The tourism lobby states that this “demonization” of tourists is unnecessary. Instead, Fairhurst underlines the importance of mutual understanding, and involving the local community in order to understand the root of the problem.

Tourist Appartments

The increase in tourist apartments has been creating worry among citizens - platforms such as Airbnb are generating “disruption and difficulty” for locals, due to increase in rent prices and some being forced out of their homes.  

In 2018, Airbnb and other peer-to-peer platforms accounted for over a third of places to live in Barcelona.

Tourist Pollution

A recent study by the ONG ecologist federation, Transport & Environment, revealed Barcelona to be the most polluted city by cruise ships in Europe, followed by Palma de Mallorca and Venice.  It is Europe’s greatest cruise destination, having surpassed 3 million visitors in 2018, and in 2017 polluted five times more sulfur oxide than any other vehicle.  

“We all have a duty to mitigate the negative effects of tourism, including environmental ones”, the industry recognises, while also demanding policies based on evidence.

European Models

When asked if there is a city for Barcelona to copy, Fairhurst does not highlight a single city, but rather particular practices that Barcelona can replicate.

For example, Amsterdam interviewed residents to understand the good and bad about the tourist experience. According to him, the town council has shown an ability to halt gentrification by regulating what locals and businesses can do based on the overall vision for the city.

The impact of the Independence Referendum

Fairhurst assures that travelers will only be dissuaded by the political conflict over Catalan independence if images of unrest in the streets surface. However, he insists that travellers are not bothered by the cause of the conflict.