Spain’s Tourism Minister Condemns Protesters Spraying Barcelona Visitors with Water Pistols

MADRID – Spain’s tourism minister has denounced the actions of a small group of protesters who sprayed visitors to Barcelona with water pistols last weekend, asserting on Thursday that such behavior does not reflect the country’s hospitable culture.

The protestors, demonstrating against the impact of mass tourism on the city, marched through central Barcelona on Saturday, chanting “tourists go home.” A Reuters video showed fewer than a dozen activists using water guns to spray individuals they identified as foreign tourists while surrounding local restaurants.

Jordi Hereu, former mayor of Barcelona, told reporters that although the protestors’ actions were condemnable, the incident was blown out of proportion by the international media. Anti-tourism protests have become more frequent in Barcelona and other coastal cities like Palma de Mallorca and Malaga, with activists arguing that tourism inflates housing costs, making it difficult for residents to afford living in city centers.

Hereu emphasized the need to regulate and diversify the tourism sector to ensure sustainability. He suggested that redistributing tourism profits and improving job quality in the industry could alleviate some of the concerns raised by opponents.

The Assembly of Neighbourhoods for Tourism Degrowth, which organized the weekend protest in Barcelona, called for measures such as higher tourism taxes, reducing cruise terminals, and capping short-term tourist accommodations in its manifesto.

In a bid to control rising housing costs and enhance residents’ quality of life, Barcelona’s mayor announced last month that the city would ban apartment rentals to tourists by 2028. Hereu mentioned that regulation could involve limiting or even eliminating short-term rentals and capping the number of hotel rooms, though these decisions largely fall under the jurisdiction of local and regional authorities.

According to the city’s tourism observatory, Barcelona welcomed approximately 26 million tourists last year, despite having a population of only 1.7 million. The tourism ministry anticipates a 13% year-on-year increase in tourist arrivals to Spain from July to September.