Spain's War Against Mass Tourism - A Town Disappears From Online Maps

Archive: Barcelona’s sunrise as seen from Park Güell – picturesque morning atmosphere over the Catalan metropolis. Getty Images

Resistance to overtourism is growing in Spain. In rural La Salut, near Barcelona, residents are celebrating a small victory: bus line 116, which was previously overrun by throngs of tourists, preventing older people from getting home, has been removed from Google and Apple’s online maps. This step, initiated by the city administration, is aimed at enabling locals to use public transport again. The influx of visitors to nearby Park Güell, an attraction by famed architect Antoni Gaudí, had previously caused enormous problems. Local resident César Sánchez is surprised by the effectiveness of the measure and jokingly suggests that the entire park should disappear from online maps, as reported by the British “Evening Standard”.

Spain’s Residents Suffering from Overtourism

Even on the Canary Islands, people are worried about too many tourists. They are protesting under the slogan “The Canary Islands have a limit” and do not want more hotels to be built. They want to be able to have a say in decisions that affect their environment. Some members of the “Canaries Sold Out” group have even gone on hunger strike. They want the government to listen to them. Their actions show how serious they are about protecting their nature and keeping life on the islands worth living as reported by French news agency “AFP”.

Last year, 16 million tourists came to the Canary Islands. That is far more than the islands and their inhabitants can handle with their resources. Spain, as the second most visited country in the world, is feeling the downsides of tourism everywhere. In Málaga, for example, people are venting their anger by posting messages like “This was once my home” and “Go home” because there are simply too many visitors. In Catalonia, there are great worries. There, water supplies are scarce – not least because of a drought.

Local Measures Against Overtourism

Spanish cities are actively tackling the problem of overtourism. In San Sebastián, for example, tourist groups in the city center can now no longer be so large. In addition, loudspeakers are banned on tours. In Seville, officials are considering charging tourists an entrance fee for the famous Plaza de Espana. The tourism industry in Spain contributes a lot to the economy; it must now find a way to continue to grow without harming the environment or the inhabitants.

José Luis Zoreda, the vice president of Exceltur, a tourism association, emphasizes how important it is for tourism in Spain to remain sustainable and to be accepted by the local people. The tourism industry is facing a record year in terms of earnings. This shows that it is time to find a balance: tourism should continue to bring money into the country, but at the same time, the people who live there must also be taken into account.