Spain‘s Tourism Minister broke his silence on the small group of protesters who sprayed holidaymakers in Barcelona with water pistols on the weekend.
Jordi Hereu, who previously served as Mayor of Barcelona, said the demonstrators’ actions were reprehensible, but claimed the incident was “exaggerated” by the international press.
Mr Hereu went on to say Spain is a hospitable country and that the action of a small group doesn’t define the reality of the entire nation.
He said: “Therefore I want to reaffirm the values of hospitality of Spain and the Spanish tourism model and one of its characteristics, which is security.”
Mr Hereu also said the tourism sector needed to be regulated and diversified to make it more sustainable for residents, adding that redistributing the sector’s profits and improving the quality of jobs in tourism would help ease opponents’ concerns.
Some 2,800 protesters came together in Barcelona last weekend under the slogan “Enough! Let’s put limits on tourism”.
During the protest, overwhelmingly peaceful, some demonstrators held placards reading “Barcelona is not for sale” and “Tourists go home”.
Some stopped by the entrances to hotels to chant: “Tourists out of our neighbourhood,” while a small group of people, fewer than a dozen, used water guns against visitors sitting at a restaurant.
While acknowledging the importance tourism plays in the Spanish economy, protesters across the Mediterranean nation have lamented the effect overtourism is having on their lives.
Overcrowding, increased traffic, a strain on the environment and rising cost of living are among the main issues blamed on overtourism by residents in holiday hotspots.
The spike in housing costs is also identified as a major problem linked to mass tourism, as locals say the huge demand for holiday rentals is pushing up prices and forcing them out of city centres.