Anti-tourism protesters in Spain attacked tourists with water guns in Barcelona.

Thousands of protesters marched in Barcelona today to express their anger at mass tourism and its impact on the city's most visited areas. Demonstrators sprayed tourists eating in popular restaurants in the La Barceloneta neighborhood with water guns.

PROTESTERS SHUT DOWN SOME ESTABLISHMENTS

In the footage, it can be seen that some customers had to change tables to escape the protesters in certain restaurants, while others were symbolically closed by the demonstrators.

The protesters, carrying banners that read "Go back to your homes, tourists," demanded a reduction in the number of foreign visitors to Barcelona and intervened with tourists by standing in front of hotels and restaurants.

One of the protesters, speaking to French news agency AFP, said, "I am not against tourism, but we are suffering from excessive tourism that is making our city unlivable." Local authorities say that housing costs in this city have increased by 68% in the last decade, becoming a major point of contention for dissatisfied residents.

Another protester, speaking to Reuters news camera, said, "In recent years, the city has completely focused on tourists, and we want a city for citizens, not a city that serves tourists." In June, Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni announced that he would stop renewing thousands of tourist licenses that allow homeowners to rent accommodations to foreign visitors until 2028. According to Collboni, this move will make homes advertised on platforms like Airbnb available for local residents to use.

ABOUT 33 MILLION TOURISTS VISIT SPAIN EACH YEAR

The recent protest follows similar large-scale demonstrations in other tourist centers in Spain. A protest held in Malaga in the southern part of the country brought together about 15,000 people against excessive tourism in June, while more than 10,000 people marched against the impact of mass tourism in Palma de Mallorca in May.

According to Spain's national statistics office INE, more than 33 million tourists visited the country in the first five months of 2024 alone, representing a 13.6% increase compared to the previous year.