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Spain is heavily dependent on tourism; among the most-visited cities is Barcelona. But with visitor numbers still soaring, many residents say they are being pushed out of their homes and priced out of everyday life. The city was visited last year by over 15 million people — nearly ten times its population — and longtime residents like Marina were left feeling overrun. Standing near a banner that read, “Your Airbnb used to be my home,” she said she was worried about soaring rents and the growing number of expats.
Protesters are not demanding a complete end to tourism, but rather that it be better managed. “We don’t want tourism to halt … but come at a normal pace,” said Marina. Protesters also demanded that cruise ships be limited and railed against how over-tourism is altering the character of the city.
Residents Look for Ways to Remain in Their Homes
For a lot of those living in Barcelona, the influx of tourists has proved costly. Even simple goods like coffee, said Elena, a young marine biologist, are now too expensive for locals. Older residents are not immune. Pepi Viu, 80, was forced to leave her apartment of almost a decade, she now lives in a hostel. Rental prices have risen almost 70 percent since her last relocation. “There are completely tourist flats now, but we residents have to live somewhere,” she said.
In other regions, just about everyone is gone already from the smaller towns, residents say. But Joan Alvarez is fighting to remain in the flat his family has rented for 25 years. Joan refuses to go even though her landlord has tried to terminate her lease. His building has had several apartments converted to single-room rentals, but not his. “It’s not the money, it’s the principle,” he said. “Housing is not supposed to be big business.”
The end of tourist rentals by 2028
Local governments, under pressure from an angry public, have accordingly announced a total ban on short-term tourist rentals as of 2028. Some 10,000 tourist licenses will be canceled. But some property owners say that won’t fix the problem. “Even if the rents have been through the roof in the last year, and they have, the landlords stopped getting new licences for the past decade but it has always come up,” says Jesus Pereda, who runs two tourist flats near the Sagrada Familia.
Jesus thinks that the bigger factor behind the rising prices are the mobile workers from other European countries, with higher earnings and spending. “They earn and pay more. You can’t prevent that,” he said. Tourist rentals, he continued, help disperse tourism and income to some of the hearts of cities outside of urban cores, he added, but losing tourism would be a blow to the economy. Tourism accounts for as much as 15 percent of Spain’s gross domestic product.
Were the ban to take effect, Jesus does not intend to rent to locals under the current rules. Price caps make long-term rentals unfeasible, he says, so he’s probably going to sell his properties.
Demonstrations Erupt in Southern Europe
In Barcelona, the protest concluded with chants of “You’re all guiris!’ —a word here for foreigners — and red smoke from firecrackers filling the sky. Police shut down major sites, including the Sagrada Familia, and tensions briefly rose when someone threw a flare into the lobby of a hotel, terrifying the tourists within.
Protests of a similar scale have occurred in other parts of Spain, as well as in Portugal and Italy. There is no obvious way out, but the sound of local communities’ frustration is getting louder — just as Spain gears up for another record-setting summer in tourism.
