Spanish people chase away tourists, but more come

CNBC reported on October 13 that 10.9 million international tourists visited Spain in August, up 7% from the same month last year, with about 6.3 million of them visiting the Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Andalusia.

Notably, the country recorded an increase in tourists after protests by locals in popular tourist cities against the influx of tourists, which affected daily life. Some tourists got into trouble with protesters.

People in Barcelona on July 6 put up a rope around a restaurant while protesting against tourists.

Thousands of people took to the streets of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, on July 6. Tourists were shot with water cannons and got into fights. The wave of protests by local residents was thought to reduce the number of tourists, but the reality has shown the opposite.

The protest sites, which include Mallorca (Balearic Islands), Barcelona and the southern coastal region of Andalusia, are among the most popular tourist destinations in Spain.

Travel news site Skift in September said a survey released by the Mallorca tourist board found that 89% of American tourists were unaware or unconcerned about the protests in the city. Meanwhile, leading European travel company Booking.com said there had been no significant changes in bookings for Mallorca or Barcelona following the protests.

The Barcelona protesters said their move was “not to end anything,” but to make demands on local officials to address overtourism. Protesters are demanding that Barcelona halt plans to expand the airport, reduce the number of marinas, restrict the short-term rental market and end tax-funded tourism promotion.

A Barcelona city council spokesman told CNBC that managing tourism is one of the main priorities, as the city nears its limit of 17 million visitors per year.

"Tourism is a strategic sector for the city's economy . The success of tourism in Barcelona cannot be judged solely on the number of visitors, but on managing the flow of people without exceeding social and environmental limits," the spokesman said.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dan-tay-ban-nha-duoi-khach-du-lich-nguoi-den-lai-cang-dong-hon-185241014201904135.htm