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Mass tourism protesters squirt water at Barcelona tourists

bbc.com

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Re: Mass tourism protesters squirt water at Barcelona tourists

#11

Post by itsoktocry »

mytailorisrich wrote: post #5
7e wrote: post #3

This is the utterly foreseeable consequence of the HN-funded Airbnb, which effectively lets rich tourists drive up the cost of living of city residents.

This does not justify attacking peaceful people who are minding their own business and having dinner. In fact, in my jurisdiction this would be common assault. Also, "rich tourists"... On the contrary. The number of tourists across Europe has exploded because very cheap flights and available and cheap accommodation means that, for instance, spending a couple of days in Barcelona has become extremely cheap and afforda…

>This does not justify attacking peaceful people

Sure, but you could say this about every form of protest.

>On the contrary.

Poor people are not spending two days in Barcelona on a whim.

Re: Mass tourism protesters squirt water at Barcelona tourists

#12

Post by yieldcrv »

more_corn wrote: post #6

It’s Barcelona in July. I would pay to get squirted. But also, Being mad at tourists seems weird to me. These are people who want to come and experience your city, learn about your culture, pay to eat food at your restaurants. Buy local art, have gelato with you. If your gripe is increased housing costs (which it almost always is) The problem is not tourists. The problem is short term rentals are more profitable than…

I've been a transplant in many cities, and residents of literally every city points fingers at everyone who can afford the rent instead of pointing fingers at their neighbors that are gambling at trying to get the highest price possible. the neighbors that have the choice not to, the neighbors they can actually influence.

sure, price fixed algorithm based corporate landlords are a problem to address. and there are some people that will propose an even higher rent to ensure they get to be a tenant.

but random people who were unilaterally told a price and saw it fit in their budget? that's not really the target

Re: Mass tourism protesters squirt water at Barcelona tourists

#14

Post by ceejayoz »

mytailorisrich wrote: post #5
7e wrote: post #3

This is the utterly foreseeable consequence of the HN-funded Airbnb, which effectively lets rich tourists drive up the cost of living of city residents.

This does not justify attacking peaceful people who are minding their own business and having dinner. In fact, in my jurisdiction this would be common assault. Also, "rich tourists"... On the contrary. The number of tourists across Europe has exploded because very cheap flights and available and cheap accommodation means that, for instance, spending a couple of days in Barcelona has become extremely cheap and afforda…

> In fact, in my jurisdiction this would be common assault.

In most jurisdictions, it'd be both a) assault and b) something the cops wouldn't give a shit about unless it damages a laptop or something.

Re: Mass tourism protesters squirt water at Barcelona tourists

#16

Post by lemoncookiechip »

There's two sides to this story. Claiming that tourism is just a negative is just plainly wrong:

[1] 2021: Barcelona started to recover, recording direct tourist spending of €3.7 billion with 4.5 million visitors. This marked a significant improvement as the city began reopening and international travel resumed.

[2] 2023: Tourists in Barcelona spent €9.6 billion in 2023, up 14.7% from 2019 More than 12 million people visited the Catalan capital last year, 6.9% less than four years ago. Employment and Job Creation: The tourism sector significantly contributes to employment in Barcelona. In 2023, the sector employed around 100,000 people, with nearly 130,000 contracts signed. Notably, more than half of these contracts were permanent, underscoring the sector's role in providing stable jobs .

[3] In fact, the entire tourism industry generates 12% of Catalonia's GDP and low-cost tourism is part of this.

[1] https://www.barcelona.cat/infobarcelona/en/tema/city-council... [2] https://www.catalannews.com/business/item/tourists-in-barcel... [3] https://www.catalannews.com/life-style/item/tourism-boom-in-...

Re: Mass tourism protesters squirt water at Barcelona tourists

#17

Post by itsoktocry »

more_corn wrote: post #6

It’s Barcelona in July. I would pay to get squirted. But also, Being mad at tourists seems weird to me. These are people who want to come and experience your city, learn about your culture, pay to eat food at your restaurants. Buy local art, have gelato with you. If your gripe is increased housing costs (which it almost always is) The problem is not tourists. The problem is short term rentals are more profitable than…

>They pay your wages, they elevate the economy.

Even if I don't work in those industries? And what about the places where this money came from, and could have been spent?

Point being, tourism isn't all good for all people. There are tradeoffs.

Re: Mass tourism protesters squirt water at Barcelona tourists

#18

Post by cpach »

hypeatei wrote: post #13

It's just some water, okay, but that seems wrong to disturb people minding their own business. Plus how do they know those are tourists and not native Spaniards?

Good question, and people who know Barcelona better might chime in to correct me, but if it was a restaurant on La Rambla it’s probably a high chance that there where mostly tourists there.

Re: Mass tourism protesters squirt water at Barcelona tourists

#19

Post by theragra »

itsoktocry wrote: post #11
mytailorisrich wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This does not justify attacking peaceful people who are minding their own business and having dinner. In fact, in my jurisdiction this would be common assault. Also, "rich tourists"... On the contrary. The number of tourists across Europe has exploded because very cheap flights and available and cheap accommodation means that, for instance, spending a couple of days in Barcelona has become extremely cheap and afforda…

> This does not justify attacking peaceful people Sure, but you could say this about every form of protest. > On the contrary. Poor people are not spending two days in Barcelona on a whim.

They certainly do, because tickets cost almost nothing, hostels are affordable.

Richer people go to cruises or rent cars for a few weeks. Source: me and my friends when we were younger.

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