On this week’s Inside Spain, we take a look at why the choice to restrict customer numbers at Barcelona’s overcrowded Park Güell has been shrugged off as a “distraction tactic” by disgruntled locals.
Spain’s most touristy metropolis continues to search for methods to crack down on overtourism, albeit not too drastically.
Barcelona Metropolis Council authorised this week a gradual discount of the annual customer quantity restrict at Park Güell to a most of 4 million.
That is half one million fewer guests than the present 4.5 million, scaled down slowly over the subsequent two years.
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The initiative was offered by left-wing ERC, which satisfied metropolis corridor to place the proposal to a vote, and it acquired the assist of all events besides the centre-right PP.
Barcelona metropolis councillor Jordi Valls defended slashing Park Güell numbers as it’s going to enable them to “deepen the methods already outlined for tourism administration.”
“We all know residents take into account it inadequate, however we’re making an preliminary push for enchancment that can undoubtedly profit residents,” stated ERC councillor Jordi Coronas.
Regardless that the measure will end in 1,300 fewer day by day visits to Park Güell by 2027, neighbours have labelled it as “not bold sufficient” and a “distraction tactic”, arguing that the numbers ought to as a substitute be slashed by half to 2 million.
For Barcelona College city anthropologist José Mansilla, “presenting a drop in guests to Park Güell as progress in lowering tourism is a fallacy”.
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“The place will the guests go as a substitute if they do not go to the park?” he instructed native website Tot Barcelona.
“As a result of they are going to nonetheless be in Barcelona”.
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Authorities within the Catalan capital have for years now been making an attempt to strike a steadiness with the multifaceted drawback of overtourism, the driving pressure of the Catalan economic system however one which’s had a serious influence on the standard of life and social cloth of Barcelona.
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In any case, knowledge from Barcelona’s Tourism Board signifies that the financial exercise generated by this trade within the metropolis quantities to €15 billion, and that if all vacationers had been to depart, Barcelona would lose 14 % of its GDP.
Metropolis corridor has additionally beforehand agreed to put up the price of Park Güell tickets as a dissuasive measure, determined to cut back the variety of cruise ship terminals, vowed to get rid of ‘tacky’ souvenir shops from the town centre, prevented new tourism residences from being arrange, promised to utterly eliminate all short-term lets by 2028, put up tourism taxes and extra. A few of these measures have been executed, others are within the pipeline.
What’s clear is that as issues stand, little has modified for locals, who really feel like they proceed to reside in a theme park for vacationers and that they’re second-class residents.
Maybe the measure that would have the most important influence for Barcelona residents is the scrapping of all short-term rentals by 2028, because it’s housing greater than another side that’s really inflicting frustration in Barcelona and throughout Spain.
These days, you’re fortunate sufficient to have the ability to afford a room in Barcelona, not to mention your personal studio condo.
READ ALSO: Three quarters of rental ads in Barcelona are for rooms
Then once more, is there any certainty that such an excessive transfer could have the supposed penalties of placing tens of 1000’s of properties again on the long-term rental market at reasonably priced charges, and scale back property buying costs too within the course of?
This may largely rely on how landlords and property house owners determine to react.
Spain’s 2023 nationwide Housing Legislation is an effective instance of this. Designed to manage rental costs, two years on most analysts consider it to have failed and made Spain’s housing problems even worse.
Can Barcelona look elsewhere for inspiration when discovering the appropriate steadiness that addresses each overtourism and the housing disaster? Not presently, its solely alternative is to be a pioneer.
