Barcelona Organizes Against 'Binge Tourism'—and Eyes a Street Protester for Mayor

In Barcelona this month, local frustration with “binge tourism” has finally boiled over. As this Citylab piece from earlier this year noted, residents of central Barcelona have become increasingly frustrated with the stress that often-rowdy mass tourism is placing on their neighborhoods. In the last 10 days, this frustration has spilled out onto the streets, as citizens of the quayside Barceloneta neighborhood have massed to protest against the noisy tourist element that flocks to its streets. Jammed between Barcelona’s ancient heart and the city’s urban beach, Barceloneta has become a focus for party tourism and all its attendant noise and hustle, with illegally sublet holiday apartments particularly resented for the sleep-spoiling noise they bring to residential streets.

This August, locals have made their resentment known through a string of demonstrations big enough to be dubbed the “Barceloneta Crisis," attacking noisy visitors and the authorities that have let them flourish unchecked. Some of these demonstrations have been pre-organized daytime affairs with 1,000-plus attendees. Others have been impromptu late-night street routs, with residents hitting the sidewalks to harangue visiting street-drinkers and tourists partying on balconies with placards and megaphones. Things haven’t turned ugly, but they’ve come pretty close.