Barcelona fights overtourism with a "Netflix algorithm"

Barcelona welcomes around 16 million tourists a year, roughly ten times its population. Local residents have long been overwhelmed, and in recent years some protests have even taken the form of spraying tourists with plastic water pistols in crowded areas. According to a report by detikTravel citing The Independent, the city is now trying a new approach that I find interesting to follow.

The existing rules are fairly strict. New hotels in the city center have been banned since 2015, about 10,000 short-term rental licenses are to be eliminated by 2028, and the number of cruise ship terminals will be cut from seven to five by 2029. The tourist tax is currently 12 euros per night and is set to rise to 15 euros by 2029.

The new approach is on the promotion side. The tourism board has renamed its campaign from "Visit Barcelona" to "This is Barcelona". The platform provides information about history, local traditions, transport and accessibility, and recommends places according to the user's interests, much like Netflix recommends what to watch. The difference is that the system also takes crowding into account: if one location gets too busy, tourists are directed to quieter places. For culture lovers, for example, besides the works of Gaudí and the Gothic quarter, it suggests museums, festivals, classical music concerts, and unique restaurants and bars in other parts of the city.

Barcelona Turisme CEO Mateu Hernandez says that for the past 15 to 20 years, the conversation about tourism has focused too much on the negative impacts, while social media causes people to crowd into the same viral spots. Visitors are invited to choose more varied experiences and to respect residents and traditions, for example by staying quiet during festivals.

For those of us who like to travel, the message is clear: the most crowded place is not necessarily the most memorable.

Source: detikTravel