Staff Reporter
THE recent wave of anti-tourism protests in Spain is beginning to take its toll, with visitors to the country admitting that they are starting to think twice about their choice of destination.
That’s according to several Americans who spoke to the Wall Street Journal, admitting that the images of demonstrators carrying signs with slogans such as ‘Tourist Go Home’ are giving them second thoughts.
“We love Barcelona, but if they want to limit tourism, we will without a doubt take that into account in the future,” said Val Gui, a 36-year-old executive from Boston who visited the Catalan capital last week with his family.
Gui told the newspaper that he felt sympathy for inhabitants of the city, who complain of spiralling rental costs, noise pollution and crowded streets, and compared the situation to that of San Francisco.
His family’s stay was, he explained, an enjoyable one and they were treated well by staff.
But he admitted he felt uncomfortable with so much graffiti aimed at travellers such as themselves.
Spain has seen a wave of protests so far this year calling for a change to the tourism model, with demonstrations held in Mallorca, Malaga and the Canary Islands.
But while a protest held in Barcelona on July 6 was also calling for a new tourism model, via a 13-point manifesto offering solutions to the issues, the demonstrators directly targeted tourists, spraying them with water pistols, taping up hotel entrances and outdoor dining areas, and verbally abusing them.
Speaking after the demonstration to The Times, hotel chiefs blasted the protestors as ‘not very intelligent’, and expressed fears that their actions may have damaged the reputation of Spain abroad as a holiday destination.
Madison Smith, 25, who works in marketing in Boston, told the Wall Street Journal how she had reacted to the Barcelona protest.
She had booked an Airbnb in the Catalan capital as it was cheaper than a hotel, but turned to website Reddit for advice from other users about whether she should stick with that itinerary.
“I felt a bit guilty and uncomfortable, and I wasn’t completely sure if I should go, so I changed my travel plans,” she said.
Instead she opted to travel to Madrid, with a short stop in Barcelona.
Meanwhile, Ane Cvetkova, 42, from North Macedonia, told the Wall Street Journal that she agrees measures are needed, such as curbing the number of visitors to Barcelona on cruise ships.
But she said she will still make regular trips to the city, which is her favourite.
“Personally, I have never felt unwelcome nor have I encountered hostility from the locals,” she said.
Travel agencies and hotel companies have said that the protests have not yet had an effect on bookings, but as the comments shared with the Wall Street Journal show, the widespread coverage of the Barcelona demonstrators’ behaviour is registering on the radars of foreign travellers.
