From locals priced out of homes to visitors shopping at global chains, all of us are cheated in a city hollowed out by tourism
Protesters in Barcelona used water pistols to take aim at tourists visiting the Sagrada Familia last month. Residents’ associations in Mallorca posted an open letter appealing to tourists to stay away from the island. More such actions are expected in the Canary Islands, Málaga and elsewhere as Spain braces for another massive season of overtourism.
Last year, there were close to 100 million visitors to Spain, twice the population. No wonder the industry is licking its lips and rubbing its hands at the prospect of even more this year. But those of us with no stake in the hospitality trade brace ourselves for the invasion with a mixture of dread and resentment. For those on the receiving end, mass tourism feels more and more extractive to the point that it is a form of corporate colonialism.
Stephen Burgen is a freelance writer who reports on Spain for the Guardian
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