Barcelona/Madrid (Reuters) – Thousands of people took to the streets of southern European cities on Sunday to protest excessive tourism, firing water pistols at store showcases in Barcelona, where the main demonstration took place.
“His vacation, my misery,” the protesters shouted on the streets of Barcelona, while holding tracks with phrases such as “Mass Tourism kills the city” and “their greed leads us to ruin.”
Under the flag of the Set – SUD d’Europa against La Turismzació, or “southern Europe against touristification” in Catalan – protesters have joined groups in Portugal and Italy, arguing that uncontrolled tourism is making real estate prices and forcing residents to leave their neighborhoods.
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Barcelona, a city of 1.6 million, attracted 26 million tourists last year.
The northeastern city authorities said about 600 people joined the demonstration at the scene, some firing water pistols, dropping colorful smoke and stickers with the phrase “Neighborhood self -defense, tourists go home” in shop windows and hotels.
In front of a hotel, an exalted employee confronted protesters saying that he was “just working” and was not the owner of the establishment.
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There were similar manifestations in other parts of Spain, including Ibiza, Malaga, Palm of Mallorca, San Sebastián and Granada. In Italy, the protests took place in cities such as Genoa, Naples, Palermo, Milan and Venice.
It is expected that spending on international travel in Europe will increase 11% this year, reaching US $ 838 billion, with Spain and France among countries that should receive record numbers from tourists.
A protest in Lisbon was scheduled for late Sunday afternoon.
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(Report by Guillermo Martinez in Barcelona, Ana Cantero in Madrid and Giulio Piovaccari in Milan)
