A Wren Says

Imagine. You just got settled in for your dream Spanish vacation. You are excited to explore the historic streets of Barcelona. Of all the things that could happen during your trip, you never imagined that being the target of protests would be one of them.

Recently, Barcelona locals, and those in other Spanish cities, have begun protesting the presence of tourists in their city. Their chief complaints have been that the increase in housing for tourists has led to a lack of affordable housing for locals and generally a decreased quality of life due to the overcrowding that happens.

Tourism is important to the local economy; it provides jobs and influx of cash. But even those who are in favor of tourism want to find solutions to a problem that has gotten out of hand. The government is proposing additional tourism tax and taking away apartment rentals for tourists. That may be a start, but is that the best solution?

Increasing a tax for tourists and eliminating the short-term apartment rentals would make it more expensive and less convenient for them to stay in the area, but it wouldn’t necessarily change the behaviors that most likely have a negative impact on the quality of life of locals. And potentially it could make life a little trickier for Spaniards and people need to be in the country for work assignments. This seems to be more about how we as tourists behave when we visit and area.

Earlier this year, I wrote about how my own experience at the Cricket steps in San Francisco was an unenjoyable one due to the huge crowds of people vying to take pictures. I could only imagine how annoying it must have been to live in one of those houses, with people constantly walking past your window and crowding the streets. I would imagine it is a similar situation for Spaniards. The tourists are getting in the way.

How then, can we as tourists, do a better job of appreciating the places we visit without causing disruption?