Abstract

The aim of this research paper is to analyze residents’ perception of overtourism in Barcelona nowadays and study the profile of citizens who believe that tourism does not benefit their home city. It also aims to find out the specific reasons they give for such beliefs and examines what is published in the media in this regard. In order to achieve it, we based the study on a concurrent triangulation design including both quantitative and qualitative analysis. The findings revealed that 16% of the population currently considers that tourism does not benefit the city at all. The main reasons for declaring that tourism is not beneficial to the city are of an ethical, social and economic nature; i.e. mass tourism, the antisocial behavior of tourists, gentrification and neighborhoods losing their traditional character. Such negative points are the reasons for publicly demonstrating against the problem and instead promoting a more responsible tourism.