‘Summer will be monstrous’: Barcelona wrestles with revival of mass tourism
“Barcelona is for sale but not to the people who live here,” says Silvia Mateu, who has lived in the seafront neighbourhood of Barceloneta for 47 of her 61 years.
For two years Barcelona underwent a forced experiment caused by the Covid pandemic. Visitor numbers that hovered near 30 million suddenly dropped to zero.
For many citizens, the emptying out came as a blessed relief as they rediscovered parts of the city that had been rendered no-go areas by mass tourism.
But at the same time, dozens of bars, restaurants and shops went out of business, prompting an overdue debate on the need to diversify the economy.
The city has had some success in attracting startups, especially in technology industries, which deem the city on Spain’s Mediterranean coast as a cheaper and more attractive option than Paris or Berlin. However, since tourists returned in Easter talk of diversification has been drowned out by the sound of ringing tills.
The hospitality sector, which suffered more and longer than any other during the pandemic, is understandably delighted. Businesses that survived the lockdowns are plotting a path out of the debt they took on. But not everyone is happy.
“We don’t want life to be like it was in the pandemic but it also gave us a chance to see that there were other possibilities without massive tourism,” says Martí Cusó, who lives in the Gothic Quarter, the city’s busiest tourist area.
“My barrio is so saturated with tourists it’s impossible to meet someone in the street or for children to play or even to get a good night’s sleep,” he says. “These two years of the pandemic have been hard but it’s also a missed opportunity to rethink the city.”
Jordi Rabassa, the councillor for the Ciutat Vella district, which encompasses the
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