Anti-touristification demonstration set for June 15 in Barcelona

On June 15, coordinated demonstrations are set to take place in Donostia, Palma, Ibiza, and other locations such as Lisbon, Menorca, Naples, Granada, Venice, Cordoba, the Pyrenees, and Cantabria. In Barcelona, the demonstration will specifically target what organizers describe as the “three main areas of exploitation” in the tourism industry: access to bread, shelter, and the future.

In Barcelona, tourists should be aware of the planned protest led by one of the city’s most prominent anti-tourism organizations. This year’s demonstration calls for participants to use water pistols as a symbol of resistance, aiming to “disrupt the tourist normality.” The group announced these plans during a press conference held outside the La Pedrera building on Passeig de Gràcia on Wednesday.

Daniel Pardo Rivacoba, a member of the Assembly of Neighborhoods for Tourism Degrowth, explained that the water pistols represent “a popular symbol of resistance against the plundering of the tourism monoculture.” Pardo argued that the tourism industry “is incompatible with life” and called for an immediate push toward “tourism degrowth.”

In addition to Barcelona, the protests will take place in other parts of Spain, including Ibiza, San Sebastián, Palma de Mallorca, Granada, and the Pyrenees, as well as in Lisbon. The Barcelona demonstration will be the second major protest in the city following the international coverage of a rally on July 6, 2024. So far, the only confirmed detail for this year’s event is its 12 p.m. start time at Jardinets de Gràcia.

Pardo clarified that the protest is “not against mass tourism itself, but against touristification, the prioritization of tourism above all else,” as the group continues to advocate for a reduction in tourism’s scale. He argued that tourism “dominates a large part of the labor market, but under exploitative conditions.”

Anna Mundet, a representative from Ecologists in Action, also addressed the press conference. She emphasized the need to “immediately and fearlessly reduce the most destructive economic activities for the biosphere” in order to lessen tourism’s environmental footprint.

Mundet referenced United Nations data indicating that tourism is responsible for around 9 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions. “More tourists means more flights, more emissions, and more global warming,” she warned. She also noted that despite these environmental concerns, there are ongoing discussions to expand El Prat Airport, a project that would impact the protected Ricarda Natural Park lagoon and has been a subject of debate for years.