Spaniards turn water pistols on visitors to protest mass tourism
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Anti-Tourism Protests Sweep Southern Europe
Above:
An anti-tourism protest in Barcelona, Spain, on June 15, 2025. Image copyright: Photo by Paroma Basu/Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
Mass tourism has transformed beloved neighborhoods into unaffordable tourist playgrounds, forcing lifelong residents to abandon their homes as rents skyrocket. In the meantime, local economies are being transformed from businesses supporting communities to souvenir shops serving visitors. The current tourism model must change if locals are to have a future in their own homes.
Narrative B
While overtourism is an issue, protesters must not make rash decisions. Tourism provides essential economic benefits, generating 12% of Spain's gross domestic product (GDP) and supporting 150,000 jobs in Barcelona alone. Scaring tourists away, therefore, would be a disaster. As such, demonstrators should instead direct their energy toward policy-makers to effect change rather than attempt it on their own.