Barcelona protesters tell tourists to ‘go home’

16 Jun 2025 • 5:44 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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  • Thousands of protesters have demonstrated against overtourism in major cities across southern Europe, including Barcelona, Lisbon, and Venice.
  • In Barcelona, which attracted 26 million tourists in 2024, protesters targeted hotels and shops with slogans like "mass tourism kills the city" and "your holidays, my misery".
  • Protesters say uncontrolled tourism is pricing local residents out of their neighbourhoods. Stickers displayed on buildings said “tourist go home”.
  • Similar demonstrations occurred in other Spanish cities like Ibiza, Malaga, and Palma de Mallorca, and in Italian cities including Genoa, Naples, and Venice, where locals are opposing new hotel construction.
  • Barcelona's city government plans to bar apartment rentals to tourists by 2028 to improve living conditions for residents.

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