41–50 of 127 posts
Why is mass tourism such a problem today and not the 90s/2000s. Is it really all thanks to platforms like Airbnb allowing cities to host so many more tourists that is the problem?
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> 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.
You call the police reporting that you're being assaulted. They will show up. The assault will stop. Now, I agree they might just tell people off with no arrest but that really demands on mood, behaviour of people, location, and indeed damages to property.
For a squirt gunning? They aren’t gonna do shit.
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…
Either ban short-term rentals or heavily tax them, which serves to make them less profitable.
The issue is not short-term rental, the issue is too much short-term rental.
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…
The subtext, which is absurd when made explicit, is that if not for tourism then those 100,000 people would not have jobs. In reality, jobs are created in response to demand, and you can obviously have arbitrarily large economies that are ~0% reliant on tourism and there's no reason to suspect Barcelona et al couldn't or wouldn't produce such an economy for itself in lieu of tourist demand.
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Either ban short-term rentals or heavily tax them, which serves to make them less profitable.
Maybe hotel chains could look into providing what modern tourists want and need. More spaces for families/groups and people happy to cook their own meals. These are the natural users of Airbnb-style properties, but I'd be happier going to a hotel if they offered a practical alternative.
We really just need more places. We basically have the same number of tourist destinations as when the population was 1/3 the size. No one is making more places to visit.
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.
Depends on your definition of "good". If by good, you mean an increase in economic activity and therefore wealth, then yes tourism can certainly benefit that. Let's just look myopically at restaurants. All things being equal, if no tourism existed in Barcelona versus its current form, then restaurants would not be operating at their current capacity. Even if let's say this meant all restaurants could continue to operate (e.g. didn't fire anyone), but at like 50% operating capacity, it would mean no restaurant owner could profit enough to invest profits into new decor, new capital equipment, better cooking materials, etc. All of those service providers now suffer and will hit economic hardships. Those people now have less to spend on food, housing, etc.
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You call the police reporting that you're being assaulted. They will show up. The assault will stop. Now, I agree they might just tell people off with no arrest but that really demands on mood, behaviour of people, location, and indeed damages to property.
I had something that looked somewhat explosive put in my mailbox. I live in a well off suburb. Cops took two hours to arrive. For a squirt gunning? They aren’t gonna do shit.
I have called the police twice in recent years, once for a road traffic accident in my street and once for road rage and they showed up in under 5 minutes (UK). It's not possible to generalise, but I suspect that a report of an assault in progress should get a quick response (maybe don't mention the water guns too much ;) )
Like I get being upset if you feel you are being priced out of your home city, but why place the hate/blame on the tourists? As a tourist I'm trying to enjoy the city and culture and earn money for the residents, not cause societal issues for the residents. If there is an accommodation available for me to book then I will book it because I assume I am welcome. Why not protest the politicians who are deciding the policies?