La Barceloneta is not a holiday resort

(EN below)

Ja, det står der på ét af de bannere, der er opstillet nede på stranden her tidligt lørdag morgen. En mindre gruppe mennesker er samlet på stranden for at demonstrere imod den massive turisme her i Barceloneta. “La Barceloneta is a neighborhood not a holiday resort” minder om de lokales frustration over omfanget af turismen her i kvarteret, der sætter de lokale under pres.

Masseturismens konsekvenser

Med masseturismen ændrer lokalområdet sig, turisterne fylder strandene op, turistkioskerne og -restaurantionerne rykker ind, lejligheder udlejes via Airbnb og prisniveauet presses generelt op. Det påvirker naturligvis stemningen i kvarteret.

Turismen bringer dog også indtægter og arbejdspladser med sig, men det ser ikke ud til, at demonstranterne med deres bannere med gribbe og ord som “arbejdslaveri” og “generobring” er helt enige. Barceloneta vil have deres kvarter tilbage. Spørgsmålet er, om de kan få det? Eller har du turismen allerede forandret kvarteret for altid – og til det værre? Her er par timer senere, er demonstrationen slut, og stranden er igen overladt til turisternes fornøjelse.

EN

So says a line on a banner set down on the beach this early Saturday morning. Here, a smaller group of people are gathered to demonstrate against the massive tourism in Barceloneta. “La Barceloneta is a neighborhood not a holiday resort” reminds you of the locals frustration with the amount of turists here in the barrio and the press the locals are feeling.

The consequences of masstourism

With mass tourism, the local area is changing. Tourists fill up the beaches, shops and restaurants aimed at turists have appeared, many apartments are rented through Airbnb and the price level is generally pushed up high. This obviously affects the atmosphere in the neighborhood.

However, tourism also brings income and employment, but demonstrators don´t seem to agree. Their banners are filled with vultures and words such as “job slavery” and “reconquest”. Barceloneta wants their neighborhood back. The question is if they really can get it back? Or has tourism already changed the barrio forever – and for the worse? Well, here are few hours later, the demonstration is over and the beach is once again left to the tourists.