‘The demand is unstoppable’: Can Barcelona survive mass tourism?

Thousands of local protesters in the Spanish city have denounced overtourism. With more crowds expected for the America’s Cup, The New York Times visited the areas where tensions are highest. On a steamy August evening, a stream of young people bearing boxes of pizza and bottles of cheap cava began the uphill slog to Carmel Bunkers in Barcelona.

Set on a hill overlooking the Catalan capital, the concrete structures once housed antiaircraft weapons that protected the city during Spain’s civil war in the 1930s. Later the site became a destination for residents on evening strolls and a hangout for local youths. But that was before Instagram and TikTok.

Several years ago, inspired by social media, young tourists began making the Bunkers a favourite spot for drinking, carousing and the inevitable sunset selfie. Last spring the noise, litter and sheer number of visitors spurred the city to erect fences around the site. Now, hundreds of visitors find any space they can amid the surrounding scrub and rocks.

Or they simply jump the barriers..