On July 6, a collective of local groups campaigning for tourism degrowth protested over mounting concerns that mass tourism is responsible for, among other things, driving up short-term housing prices and making city center apartments unavailable and unaffordable for locals. The Barcelona event, the latest in a slew of similar anti-tourism protests held throughout Spain, including in the Canary Islands, Malaga, the Balearic Islands, and Girona, made international headlines when, in an isolated act of frustration, a small group of protesters were filmed squirting unsuspecting tourists with water guns and symbolically taping-over hotel entrances and restaurant terraces.

The incident was short-lived and a reported 2,800 protesters continued their march without further interactions with visitors. The videos went viral and scores of potential travelers took to social media to question their safety in Barcelona. But while overtourism is a major concern for some residents, the act of targeting tourists was publicly condemned by the local government and does not reflect the sentiments of the majority…

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