steviedeluxe

I've heard from people in the city that the place is over-run with tourists. Not helped this weekend by this, I suspect
http://www.02b.com/en/notices/2013/0...ekend_4806.php
No doubt the tourist shops and bars (and the odd pickpocket) will have a field day - but does it really help local people?

steviedeluxe

Yikes - just a minute after I posted that, this came up on my twitter feed. Plans to build a tourist island off Barcelona similar to those in Dubai. Maybe that's how they'll fit in extra tourists?

News article in Spanish
http://ccaa.elpais.com/ccaa/2013/05/...42_884288.html

Websites in English
http://www.barcelonaisland.com/Home

http://www.hospitalitydaily.com/inve...barcelona-658/

jackytoo

The one planned in Marbella seems to have collapsed.

The Dubai Islands have turned into a shitehole and are sinking.

Barcelona is very popular with hen parties from Essex.

teuchterpete

Must be a lot of hen parties if they can fill 17 cruise ships!

Lynn R

It was already too full of tourists for me when I last went there about 5 years ago - being hardly able to move in some areas for people taking photographs and coachloads of tourists disembarking and milling about on the pavements, or able to take pictures ourselves because of people continually walking in front of us, was one of the things that didn't endear it to me. Barcelona seems a victim of its own success in some ways, I felt the same way about some other places like Venice for example. Glad I went and have seen it, but wouldn't want to go back.

Beaverstate

So Spain is complaining about too much business? I guess send the young unemployed males (just like the Caribbean)to offer services to the tourists.

jennieJ

Why on earth would Bareclona aspire to be like Dubai ? Have you been there Steve? Once is enough !

steviedeluxe

It's up to those in power in Barcelona to decide what to do. For what it's worth, I can't see how they could build the tallest building in Europe without affecting the flightpaths into Barcelona airport. Having said that there is a certain logic to this scheme - Barcelona does receive a lot of tourists, and an artificial island may be a way to cram in even more...
One good thing about London (and to an extent Madrid) is they were built over time to accommodate large numbers of people. Ok you get the crunch points like Oxford Street or Gran Via, but generally you feel you have space. Barcelona has many great points, and its location is one of them, but it's easy to feel claustrophobic there.

rugbymatt

Dubai used to be lovely... *sigh*

jackytoo

So did Spain

Dick Dasterdly

Great place to send all the rif-raff and p!ss heads.
I'm sure they'll be best able to deal with the vast numbers of pick pockets and thieves which make Barcelona the Number One City in the World where you are likely to get Robbed.

There was a thread touched on the subject a while back and the general consensus appeared to be that the authorities and police there were content to bury their heads in the sand and just to turn a blind eye to the problem for whatever reason.

jackytoo

It's the same with all well-known tourists spots these days. Pompeii, Valley of the Kings. Travel is so affordable now. We went to Highclere Castle of Downton Abbey fame and there were thousands there, just shuffling around the corridors!

rspltd

That's strange - we were there last week and it was almost deserted. Depends when you go I suppose.

rugbymatt

Ha, that was quite funny.

jackytoo

They say

We have now sold out of pre-bookable tickets for our 2013 Summer Season. There are, however, some walk-up tickets available each day that the Castle is open, subject to capacity in the Castle.

They are filming there next week.