Protests against Tourists in Barcelona

[braumeister]

I've heard tourist information is hard to find in Barcelona.

 

[Mdlerth]

I hear Mayberry, NC is nice

I'd be more concerned about those who drive vans up Las Ramblas deliberately killing people......(was there a thread about that?)

The case for choosing somewhere else just keeps building, doesn't it?

 

[Nemo2]

The case for choosing somewhere else just keeps building, doesn't it?

Paris, Nice, London? Think I'd prefer the Catalans.

 

[Mdlerth]

Paris, Nice, London? Think I'd prefer the Catalans.

I was thinking more along the lines of the Blue Ridge mountains. Explore some caverns, ride the Tail of the Dragon, sip a little moonshine, raft a few rapids; all without crazies trying to harm me...

...of course, if you hear a faint sound of dueling banjos, it might be wise to paddle a little faster!

 

[Nemo2]

...of course, if you hear a faint sound of dueling banjos, it might be wise to paddle a little faster!

Touché

 

[Totoro]

We're only at the beginning of the Tourism Tsunami.

it's happening in all major cities around the world, especially the smaller ones (Amsterdam for example, Barcelona too). Tourism keeps expanding: it's too easy to get there, relatively safe and cheap, and the eastern middle class is just discovering these places.

I left Amsterdam, partly because I felt like living in Disney Land as one of the animators.

 

[Senator]

Absolutely. We feel as safe or safer in European cities as we do in many US cities.

I think most places in the world can have a lunatic, and most are generally safe.

It really all depends on the "What if".

If something did happen, how comfortable will you be going to the cops, a safe place, or medical facilities. After that, how easily will it to get back to where you want to be? Back home, across the border, etc.

In come countries, that safety may not be to easy to find.

 

[Nemo2]

Tourism keeps expanding: it's too easy to get there, relatively safe and cheap

And those who might otherwise have never ventured to (what they think of as 'exotic locales') foreign lands are hopping on cruise ships........the types who would likely pay for guided tours around the Promenade Decks of said vessels.

 

[Chuckanut]

If 'they' are enough to make the news, it's probably too many...

Really? The news media will give tons of coverage to every jerk who says or does something outrageous, yet never mention all the people who act responsibly 365 days a years.


Example: they gave huge coverage to some televangelist who would not open the doors of his church to hurricane victims, but rarely mentioned all those churches that took in people.

 

[Sunset]

The big vote is coming up.
Spain has sent in an extra 7,000 Police (living in cruise ships) to stop the vote.
There have been huge rallies.

One issue with Spain simply trying to prevent the vote, is that the issue is not settled, even if there is a vote and it's no to separation, now people can say it's because Spain interfered that the vote came out no.

Obviously Spain is worried the vote would be a yes.

I have not paid for my hotel yet..

Catalonia referendum: Tense independence vote looms - CNN

 

[Nemo2]

I thought about this thread after reading accounts of the mass murders in Las Vegas this morning.

 

[Sunset]

In Spain, the vote is reported to be to separate, and the police crackdown seems to have pushed people off the fence into the separate crowd.

Very soon will be the word about whether they will try to separate.

I am beginning to think about our trip, and how this might affect it. .. ? We could end up going to the same place, but it will be a different country

 

[Koolau]

I figure there are plenty of places in the world that WANT tourists. Don't think I'd go someplace that doesn't want them. Here in Paradise where we get half our operating budget from tourists, most folks - even if they're not too happy about hosting hordes of tourists - put on the happy face and show aloha. It's probably in our best interest though there are plenty of down sides to tourism. YMMV

 

[Sunset]

The crisis is getting bigger, closer to civil war. I'm holding off paying for my hotel

"Spain dismissed Catalonia's president and Cabinet and dissolved its Parliament on Friday hours after lawmakers in the autonomous region defied Madrid and voted overwhelmingly to declare independence."

Catalonia government dissolved by Spain after declaring split - CNN

 

[gauss]

Yes -- with the recent developments I would be getting out of Barcelona ASAP before the equivalent of Martial Law takes hold in the region.

-gauss

 

[gerntz]

I don't worry about traveling in Europe. Europe is very safe compared to most of the world including the US!

I'd like to see that data. Overall murder/crime rate is pretty meaningless if the locals are mainly murdering each other vs. outsiders.

 

[gerntz]

The crisis is getting bigger, closer to civil war.

Let me know when people start attacking each other. That's war.

 

[Sunset]

The first vote for independence was considered by some to be suspicious, since Spain gov't interfered with it by sending in police to shut down polling stations.

Then the Spanish gov't ordered the arrest of many of the local leaders of the independence movement some of whom were politicians of the local area.

Spain abolished the regional gov't and took over the region.

New elections were ordered to settle the matter and prove all this upset was simply a small group of people, some of whom were arrested or exiled.

The region voted a proper and legal election, and to the Spanish gov't surprise elected a big majority of separatists

Spain's Rajoy rejects ex-Catalan leader's call to meet - CNN

This could make another country to visit for those that are counting countries visited

 

[brett]

Spain may be a good vacation destination next fall depending on how this plays
out.

We have had some very good vacations to places such as Greece, Turkey, Thailand, and a few others when many tourists were avoiding them.

Crowds were down, prices down, hotels much easier to get. Greece was by far the best one with tourism down about 50 percent when we went.

 

[audreyh1]

I think there was some language in the post-Franco Spanish constitution that would revoke some of the autonomy privileges afforded Catalonia if they declared independence. And that’s part of what happened.

This could make another country to visit for those that are counting countries visited

The EU is not inclined to get involved at all and the Spain Central government against Catalan independence. I don’t see how another country will be created.

We are still considering traveling in central and southern Spain next year. We visited Barcelona in 2016 and enjoyed it very much in spite of the extreme tourist crowds.

 

[Chuckanut]

I've lots of anti-tourist graffiti in big European cities. Most is aimed at AirBnB renting apartments to tourists rather than locals.

 

[W2R]

I've lots of anti-tourist graffiti in big European cities. Most is aimed at AirBnB renting apartments to tourists rather than locals.

There is a lot of anti-AirBnB sentiment here, too, especially down in the Faubourg Marigny (next to the French Quarter). People feel that there is so much of it, that it is breaking up their historic neighborhoods I guess, and turning the Marigny into one big tourist rental conglomerate instead of a neighborhood. For a while the city council was thinking of banning short term rentals like that (which would benefit the big hotels so that's another factor in the mix). But I don't know what ever happened with that and there are still AirBnB's. This is still unresolved AFAIK.

 

[Chuckanut]

There is a lot of anti-AirBnB sentiment here, too, especially down in the Faubourg Marigny (next to the French Quarter). People feel that there is so much of it, that it is breaking up their historic neighborhoods I guess, and turning the Marigny into one big tourist rental conglomerate instead of a neighborhood. For a while the city council was thinking of banning short term rentals like that (which would benefit the big hotels so that's another factor in the mix). But I don't know what ever happened with that and there are still AirBnB's. This is still unresolved AFAIK.

My city has decided that Airbnb owners first must get a city business license. They can rent out a room in a home they occupy, but if they rent out the entire place on a short term basis, then they are essentialy running a hotel type business in a area that is zoned residential. In other words, it's illegal.

 

[W2R]

My city has decided that Airbnb owners first must get a city business license. They can rent out a room in a home they occupy, but if they rent out the entire place on a short term basis, then they are essentialy running a hotel type business in a area that is zoned residential. In other words, it's illegal.

They were talking about doing that here, too, so maybe that was how it was resolved. I think it makes sense.

 

[Nemo2]

So...if a given city has 'X' number of tourists renting studios @ $$, and that's changed to 'X' number of tourists renting rooms @ $, (or cutting their stays short/going elsewhere), doesn't that possibly equate to a drop in revenue for the city?

Where's the upside?