The cost of Europe’s backlash against tourists

Record visitor numbers are provoking protests, but their spending props up the economy. Policymakers are trying to find a balance

Barney Jopson

Jul 28, 2024 – 5.00am

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They were the squirts heard around the world. A handful of anti-tourism protesters doused visitors to Barcelona with water pistols during a demonstration this month, chasing them off restaurant terraces.

As images of the aquatic assault hit the press from the US to China to Australia, and triggered a branding crisis for the Spanish city, the pistoleers were condemned by tourism executives for scaring visitors away.

Financial Times