Barcelona locals are growing tired of "drunk" tourists trying to break into their apartments, mistakingly thinking them to be their own. The Catalan capital is one of a number of holiday hotspots across Spain facing a growing backlash against tourism. Residents have turned out in droves to demonstrate their unease over the negative effects that hordes of visitors are having on their daily lives.
Alba, who lives in the city, told The Guardian about the disruptive behaviour of revellers affecting her personal space. She recounted how "drunk tourists" were "blocking the entrance to our building, smoking in our faces as we tried to exit, screaming like madmen until 2am". Alarmingly, she reported incidents where "Airbnb tourists tried to open our door at night".
She also noted a shift in the soul of the neighbourhood, with long-standing local trades such as an "old ironmongery, a butcher, and many small businesses running for decades" disappearing. In reaction to skyrocketing frustration among its residents, Barcelona officials have vowed to outlaw tourist apartment rentals by 2028. As resentment mounts, people have been voicing their grievances on social media.
One Reddit post poignantly captured the mood, saying: "Barcelona has become an amusement park made for tourists. "Everything's overpriced, when you go to class or work you have to avoid distracted tourists who randomly stop to take a picture all the time of the day, week or year." Another local complained: "I was born and .