Featured Image Credit: Alexander Spatari/Getty Images/YouTube/@benmorris
A YouTuber has visited a city that ‘hates tourists’ to find out the real reason why they don’t want visitors.
Barcelona is a picturesque coastal destination that attracts nearly 15 million tourists each year to visit the city’s incredible architecture and sunny beaches.
But there’s a catch, the locals don’t seem to want tourists.
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YouTuber Ben Morris decided to find out why by venturing to Barcelona himself and documenting the experience for his subscribers.
Visiting a local tapas restaurant, Ben commented on how he felt like he was treated differently from the locals.
Talking to the camera, he said: “I felt for the first time the locals were treating me differently as a tourist to the other locals.”
Showing the camera where he was sitting, Ben continued: “All right, here is my own little foreigner table.
“I went into that super local tapas restaurant, there was a load of free tables in the front of the restaurant next to the windows where it's light and just a nice place to sit.
“Myself and another couple of tourists both got put on tables in the back of the restaurant in the dark area, I don't get why we'd get sat there.”
After noticing a ‘tourists go home’ sign graffitied on the wall, Ben said: “I don't think people are going to stop coming to Barcelona anytime soon.”
During his trip, Ben met up with a local named Bryce, who shed some light on the situation.
He explained: “Living in Barcelona nowadays is as expensive as most northern European cities, the difference is most northern European cities have better salaries than Barcelona.
“The issue we have with housing here is we can not compete and pay rent with someone who comes from London five days, stays in Barcelona, then leaves.”
Viewers took to the YouTube comment section to share their reactions to the video.
One user wrote: “It's important to consider that the city suffers a housing crisis, part of which is caused by housing being turned into short-term renting for tourists.
“Also, tourism, unlike other sectors such as manufacturing or banking, doesn't really translate into higher earnings for its workers.”
Another said: “It is a tough one, tourism brings money, but it is destructive for the locals.”
And a third person added: “It’s become such a gentrified city that even most of the newer buildings are flats for tourists and that diminishes the chances for locals to find decent housing options.”
