baron-pierreIV 1693 Posted May 12, 2014 Report Share Posted May 12, 2014 (edited) Uh-oh. Too much of a good thing. I bet Barcelona didn't count on this.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSAPqGijeiY Oops, here's the one with English subtitles... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2610312/Barcelona-ruined-mass-tourism-claims-documentary.html Edited May 12, 2014 by baron-pierreIV Quote Link to post Share on other sites
thatsnotmypuppy 559 Posted May 12, 2014 Report Share Posted May 12, 2014 This is not the first time I have heard about this issue in Barcelona. I bet Athens would love this particular problem right now. Barcelona does have it all - great food, great beaches (now), awesome culture and a really pumping party scene. Sadly the best kept secrets rarely stay secrets. On the plus side the influx of tourists probably saved the Catalan economy during the GFC - well it would have had Madrid not siphoned off most of the cash. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Quaker2001 1263 Posted May 12, 2014 Report Share Posted May 12, 2014 Guilty as charged, then. A friend of mine and I visited Barcelona last summer. Might be my new favorite city to visit in the world. Was blown away by the city. And yes, my friend and I are probably your stereotypical American tourists who a city like Barcelona is targeted towards. I do feel bad for the locals who have probably been somewhat put off by that and it doesn't surprise me a number of people feel that way. They were damned if they do and damned if they don't though, because who knows what the state of the city would have been if they didn't host the Olympics and introduce themselves to the world. So as much as long-time residents, especially those who have been around long enough to have experienced the Franco regime, would probably resist some of the change, you have to take the good with the bad. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mr.bernham 384 Posted May 12, 2014 Report Share Posted May 12, 2014 Guilty as charged, then. A friend of mine and I visited Barcelona last summer. Might be my new favorite city to visit in the world. Was blown away by the city. And yes, my friend and I are probably your stereotypical American tourists who a city like Barcelona is targeted towards. I do feel bad for the locals who have probably been somewhat put off by that and it doesn't surprise me a number of people feel that way. They were damned if they do and damned if they don't though, because who knows what the state of the city would have been if they didn't host the Olympics and introduce themselves to the world. So as much as long-time residents, especially those who have been around long enough to have experienced the Franco regime, would probably resist some of the change, you have to take the good with the bad. The problem is that unlike other popular cities, Barcelona did not grow with this burden. Paris, Rome, Berlin, London are all cities that can handle massive tourist, a closely packed city like Barcelona can not. The city almost has the same #of Tourist as Disneyland, that's a lot of people in a very small place. They should have more restrictions in the more popular areas. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
baron-pierreIV 1693 Posted May 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2014 And Barcelona will be getting more tourists as they continue to bid and host other world-class sporting events like the Grand Prix Figure Skating finals in December -- the first time a Spanish/Iberian city is hosting a major int'l ice championships. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Quaker2001 1263 Posted May 12, 2014 Report Share Posted May 12, 2014 Don't forget the FINA World Championships where they stepped in for Dubai. Impressive they're able to have separate venues for swimming and diving and water polo, not to mention high diving. Not their fault they have all those sports venues! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Alexjc 354 Posted May 24, 2014 Report Share Posted May 24, 2014 Don't forget the FINA World Championships where they stepped in for Dubai. Impressive they're able to have separate venues for swimming and diving and water polo, not to mention high diving. Not their fault they have all those sports venues! ...and the fact they are all in good looking places...One of my favorite Olympic cities. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mr.bernham 384 Posted May 24, 2014 Report Share Posted May 24, 2014 ...and the fact they are all in good looking places...One of my favorite Olympic cities. Too bad it's packed with tourist and kitschy tourist crap...an in many cases uncultured Americans who have no respect for the language, city, or culture. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Alexjc 354 Posted May 24, 2014 Report Share Posted May 24, 2014 Still the sexiest city to host (at least until '16)...and hey well thats the price to pay for mass tourism, and its not just Americans, also British yobbos, Aussies and Kiwis misbehave just as much. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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