Excess tourists in Barcelona just affects both city residents and visitors by. EFE /
OF THE INFORMER
- Long-term problems due to lack of planning
The city faces a ‘wave’ of visitors to what is not ready
“Tourists go home (tourists return home)” is a slogan typical facades of the most central areas of Barcelona, where they usually concentrate the bulky influx of tourists to absorb difficult for a city of 1.6 million inhabitants before the 1992 Olympics just received visitors.
It is now the third most visited city in Europe, only behind London and Paris, according to a study in 2013 by MasterCard. The arrival of summer and the heat highlight: jams tourist groups in the alleys of the medieval quarter, long queues to visit the buildings of the modernist architect Antoni Gaudi and crowded beaches where there’s hardly an inch of free sand
.
“Barcelona is at a crossroads. If nothing is done, in 30 or 40 years could become Venice, a city completely specialized in tourism, “says the geographer from the Autonomous University of Barcelona Francesc Muñoz.
This tourist hyper is already a Indeed in some areas of the city as the tree-lined Ramblas. Former meeting of Barcelona, the Ramblas is now a constant coming and going of tourists cornered souvenir stores, fashion chains and fast food restaurants.
“We are losing the essence. Where once there were flowers, there are now only souvenirs “laments Pallés Carolina, the oldest florist from Las Ramblas, founded by her great-grandmother in 1888. In front of the stop, a banner hanging from a balcony:” Barcelona residents return to Rambla “.
” The traditional customers have stopped coming because they have no room to walk or move the cart, “Xavier Alonso, a fishmonger from the nearby Boqueria market where turnover fell complains 50 % in five years.
The summer was even Barceloneta demonstrations against tourism thrives in this seaside town with the main beach of the city.
“The tourism boom It was a very quick process, 25, and the city not well absorbed. This has led this turismofobia “explains tourism expert Francesc López Palomeque, adding that the council’s response to this phenomenon was insufficient.
Now Ada Colau launches to develop a plan to support everyday life its inhabitants with this valuable activity that generates 120 000 jobs.
His first move, announced this week, was to freeze the licensing of tourist accommodation for a year.
Among the thirty projects affected is a five-star hotel chain US Hyatt which was inaugurated in 2017 at the Agbar tower, a symbol of skyscrapers in Barcelona. The fund Emin Capital had already invested 150 million euros for this hotel that should generate about a thousand jobs.
“Barcelona is a world model in terms of tourism. All investors want to come here but if we create legal uncertainty, change of place, “says the president of the fund, Jordi Badia.
The city currently has 600 hotels with 74 000 rooms and about 9000 600 Tourist apartments registered. However, we suspect that the number of illegal tourist apartments that are promoted through platforms like Airbnb is much higher.
According to a survey of employers Exceltur Spanish hoteliers in Barcelona the positions offered through of these platforms exceed 137 thousand. And many see these accommodations the main cause of the tourist saturation.
“There is a campaign to give us a bad image because we take away market,” argues Enrique Alcantara, president of the management of apartments Apartur ensuring that owners these apartments help “disperse visitors to the city and redistribute the benefits of tourism.”
But still complicated. And as Palomeque López warns, “Barcelona is currently a world tourism icon. But if the problems can persist this mess and ultimately affect tourism in the city. “
NOTES
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