Barcelona is planning to expand its airport and the plans have drawn heavy criticism from locals and activists, who say the city is already overwhelmed with tourists.
The decision has also been slammed by experts who claim that it is nothing more than a “hypocrisy”.
The city has campaigned against overtorusim for years, only now to support an expansion that could potentially bring in more visitors.
Critics also argue that the extension of the runway, which is meant to accommodate bigger planes, will bring even more tourists to a city that struggles with overtourism on a daily basis.
Despite the concerns, Mayor Jaume Collboni is advocating for the extended runway at El Prat Airport, claiming it will attract tech companies and academic talent rather than increase tourist numbers.
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Collboni added: “Our aim is to make Barcelona a city that has tourism and not a touristy city.”
Yet, many see the move as contradictory to his previous promises to limit the impact of tourism on local life.
Local groups argue that Barcelona is reaching a breaking point with the volume of tourists already visiting – around 170,000 per day.
Over the summer, frustrated locals took to the streets in protest, with some activists even resorting to using water pistols on tourists.
The plans for expansion have led some residents and experts to call it a “hypocrisy,” pointing out that while the city claims to protect their quality of life, the proposed changes could make things much worse.
Environmental activists and left-wing groups have raised additional concerns, pointing to the potential harm the expansion could cause to a nearby wetland reserve.
However, Maurici Lucena, the President of Aena (the operator of Spain’s airports), defended the project, saying: “Barcelona, Catalonia, and Spain need the airport to be expanded if we want to continue generating prosperity.”
He added that recent changes in local government make him “optimistic” about the project’s approval.
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