Holiday hotspots need fairer tourism for local communities

By Linda Osti

It all appeared to begin in early July with angry Barceloni residents squirting tourists with water as they sat on restaurant terraces. “Tourists go home!” shouted locals to bemused diners in the busy Las Ramblas district, voicing their frustration at the problems their city faces, constantly overrun with visitors. Last year around 12 million people visited the Catalan capital, bringing €9.6 billion to the local economy.

However, protests against tourism in Spain are not new.