The World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism will return to Donostia-San Sebastian in Spain (5-7 October) to focus on how tourism can foster rural development, build economic resilience, and preserve cultural heritage.
25.08.2023 - 13:32 / skift.com
Scrawled across Barcelona’s opera house, along the city’s renowned La Rambla boulevard, is expletive-laden graffiti urging tourists to “go home”.
In another district, the messaging is more emphatic still: “Tourism kills neighborhoods”.
The signs, which appeared in recent days, underline how anti-tourism sentiment is bubbling up in the Spanish city most-visited by foreigners, as arrival numbers return to near pre-pandemic levels following the lull during lockdowns.
Mass tourism regulation has surfaced as a political hot-button topic across Spain ahead of local and regional elections on Sunday.
Several candidates, the most prominent being Barcelona’s far-left mayor who is seeking a third term, have vowed to curtail tourism activity, by reducing cruise ship arrivals or reconverting hotels into social housing.
“We like tourism, to have visitors, but tourist overcrowding triggers problems of mobility, speculation and gentrification that put our local way of life at risk. Therefore, we have to regulate it,” Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau told Reuters.
Spain was the world’s second most-visited country in 2019, after France, according to data from the United Nations, with tourism accounting for 12 percent of the economy.
Barcelona, Spain’s second-largest city of 1.6 million people, received around 30 million visitors, including day trippers, the same year.
When the pandemic hit, many residents breathed a sigh of relief at the suddenly empty streets and beaches.
Its authorities also took the opportunity to focus on higher value tourism, marketing the city as a high-end gastronomic destination for example.
This year, tourist numbers are within a whisker of pre-pandemic levels once more, with first-quarter international tourist arrivals to Spain up 41 percent from the same period of 2022.
Tourists arriving earlier to avoid increasingly sweltering summer temperatures due in part to climate change and water restrictions imposed amid an intense drought affecting Catalonia, could also be factors increasing frustration over mass tourism, said Gemma Canoves, geography professor at Barcelona’s Autonomous University.
Colau believes residents want a different model now.
“We welcome tourism but we need to grow other strategic sectors,” she said, arguing that restrictions imposed since taking office in 2015 have strengthened and diversified Barcelona’s economy towards new sectors such as tech startups.
Seeking to protect rents and local identity, Barcelona was among the first cities in Europe to ban new hotels in the centre and restrict short-term room rentals. It also shut around 8,000 unlicensed tourist apartments.
In her re-election campaign, Colau proposes halving the numbers of passengers arriving at Barcelona’s cruiseship
The World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism will return to Donostia-San Sebastian in Spain (5-7 October) to focus on how tourism can foster rural development, build economic resilience, and preserve cultural heritage.
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and Hotelbeds shared insights at an event called “Global Trends in the Tourism Sector,” in the growing Spanish destination of Palma de Mallorca.
With incredible shopping, stylish restaurants, historic architecture, and world-famous nightlife, the lively Spanish capital of Madrid sets the backdrop for a splurge-worthy trip. Madrid exemplifies chulo, the Spanish word for cool, which you’ll embrace after spending days getting lost in the colorful markets, strolling through El Retiro Park, and sipping cocktails on a rooftop as the sun sets.
If I had to recommend one place to eat tapas in Spain, it’s Bar Poë in Granada, not only for the food, but for the atmosphere. It’s always bustling (come early to guarantee a seat) with a local and international crowd. Run by a friendly husband-and-wife duo, every drink comes with a free dish, and, unusually, you can choose your tapa. International and big on flavour, the menu includes Portuguese piri piri dishes, salt cod, curries and more. Jason Rich
A thought leadership event exploring the significant untapped potential of retail tourism took place at La Roca Village, part of The Bicester Collection, in Barcelona, concluding with a resounding call for attention to the importance of retail tourism. The event featured the launch of a ground-breaking report, “Global Retail Tourism: Trends and Insights”, a collaborative effort between the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), The Bicester Collection and Hong Kong Polytechnic University. With a strong focus on data and insights, the report seeks to define the future of retail tourism, highlighting the key trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the sector.
As Jamaica seeks to unlock the vast potential of the Latin American (LATAM) visitor market, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has emphasised the importance of multi-destination tourism and ‘co-petition’ to this initiative. Minister Bartlett highlighted the issue during his address at the ‘Keys to LATAM’ Conference, organised by the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) and Adtelligent Limited. The conference, held earlier today (September 7) at the Spanish Court Hotel, brought together industry professionals to explore business opportunities in the lucrative Latin American (LATAM) market.
Some visitors to Venice will have to start paying a daily tourist fee of 5 euros ($5.36) next year. The initiative covers the introduction of a new tourist flow management system to discourage day trippers on certain dates.
Beginning this week, Greece will limit the number of tourists who can visit one of its most popular attractions each day.
US and UK saw respective deal volume reducing to almost half; China emerges as notable exception.
Albania is an often overlooked gem in Southeast Europe on the Balkan Peninsula, rich in history, natural beauty, and vibrant culture.
Tourists at a seaside hotel on the Greek island of Rhodes snatched up pails of pool water and damp towels as flames approached, rushing to help staff and locals extinguish one of the wildfires threatening Mediterranean locales during recent heatwaves.
In addition to booming tourism numbers worldwide, travelers this summer have experienced scorching temperatures. That blistering heat has made travel difficult and could potentially create chronic health problems.