Barcelona is actively working to curb the effects of overtourism amid growing visitor numbers that continue to strain the city’s infrastructure and alter its historic neighborhoods. With nearly 16 million tourists recorded in 2025, city officials have adopted a firm stance aimed at halting further growth in visitor arrivals.
The new commissioner for sustainable tourism, Dr. José Antonio Donaire, who is also a tourism studies professor at the University of Girona and former regional parliament member, leads this effort. His position, established last year, builds on policies initiated by the municipal government over the past decade, including a 2017 moratorium on new hotel construction, an accommodation tax, and a ban on vacation rentals scheduled to take effect in 2028.
Dr. Donaire emphasized that the city seeks to maintain its current level of tourism rather than expand it further. “The city has decided to fix a flat horizon on a curve that otherwise rises infinitely,” he said, noting that 16 million visitors will represent the city’s maximum threshold. This policy reflects a reassessment of the tourism model to better balance economic benefit with residents’ quality of life.
While Barcelona’s tourism board continues to promote the city, the focus has shifted to attracting visitors who are more likely to engage with local culture and respect residential communities. Presently, leisure tourists constitute two-thirds of visitors, but the city aims to diversify this into equal parts business travel, cultural tourism, and leisure. Promotional campaigns now highlight not only high-profile cultural events, such as performances at the Liceu opera house, but also more popular experiences like live music and local festivals. The city’s tourism slogan has been revised from “Visit Barcelona” to “This Is Barcelona,” reflecting an effort to portray the city’s identity rather than simply its landmarks.
The impact of overtourism on neighborhoods such as Las Ramblas has been significant. Once a vibrant public space beloved by locals, it has increasingly been dominated by tourists, street vendors, and outdoor cafes, prompting many residents to avoid the area. Dr. Donaire aims to reverse this trend by reducing commercial saturation and restoring the area’s appeal as a communal space for Barcelonians to stroll and socialize.
Similarly, popular markets like the Boqueria have transformed as they cater more to tourists with takeaway fruit cups and fried seafood, sidelining the traditional clientele of local shoppers. Residents like José Antonio Donaire have adapted by using less frequented entrances to avoid crowds, but the city’s broader goal is to encourage locals to reclaim these cultural landmarks as everyday spaces.
Despite tensions highlighted in past years, when incidents such as tourists being sprayed with water guns drew attention worldwide, city officials maintain that Barcelona remains a welcoming destination. “We are a very hospitable city,” Dr. Donaire said, underscoring the importance of coexistence between residents and visitors.
Barcelona’s evolving approach signals a deliberate effort to balance tourism’s economic role with preserving the city’s social fabric and livability, seeking to ensure that future growth in visitor numbers does not come at the expense of its residents.