Barcelona to introduce new tourist restriction rules
Barcelona is the capital of the Catalonia region in Spain and has become one of the most attractive city destinations worldwide. Strict new tourist restrictions are set to be imposed in Barcelona in a bid to reduce nuisance to locals. From one-way systems to a ban on megaphones, Barcelona’s authorities have released a string of new controls to cut down on anti-social behaviour. barcelona tourist restrictions
City centre tours will now be limited to 30 people, while tour sizes of more than 15 will no longer be permitted in smaller areas.
Tour guides will no longer be able to use megaphones in the city and must instead rely on audio equipment or speak quietly.
Only three to eight people will be welcomed at certain attractions moving forward and tours must only take place within 24 permitted streets.
The paper also notes that tour guides have been asked to only stop in ‘spacious locations’ when giving explainers and avoid ‘clogging up busy spots’.
They have also been ‘urged’ to encourage tourists to buy tickets ahead of tours as opposed to touting guides on Barcelona’s streets.
According to local media, the city council has classified peeing in the sea as a ‘minor infraction’ and ‘an infringement of hygiene and sanitary regulations’.
Town officials have said they plan to install public toilets on beaches during the high season – but if anyone is caught taking a toilet break elsewhere, they may face a fine of up to £640.
Vigo is also contemplating fining those using soap in the sea, leaving rubbish on the sand, or taking barbecues or gas cylinders to the beach. barcelona tourist restrictions
Barcelona’s main tourist attractions
Barcelona might have the Olympic Games to thank for its current international recognition. However, its beautiful architecture and its cultural offer are the aspects that have consolidated the city as an attractive tourist destination. Antoni Gaudi’s architectural masterpieces and museums such as those devoted to Pablo Picasso and Barcelona’s history museum are only a few examples from a very long list of unmissable places and monuments in this Mediterranean city. Gaudi’s Sagrada Família – still under construction – and Park Güell received roughly 764 thousand and 589 thousand visitors in 2020, respectively, maintaining their top places in the ranking of Barcelona’s most visited attractions during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. And with approximately 359 thousand visitors that year, the CosmoCaixa Museum overtook FC Barcelona Museum’s third place.
A place for every type of visitor barcelona tourist restrictions
Although in recent years most of the people who traveled to Barcelona did so for leisure or vacation purposes, the business travel industry also plays a key role in the economy of this Spanish city, with renowned national and international meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions attracting thousands of professionals from all around the globe. In 2021, Barcelona was also counted among the world’s top city destinations for remote workers, offering the largest number of Tripadvisor plans, the second average WiFi speed, and the third-highest number of co-working spaces among the studied cities. As of early 2022, Catalonia’s capital was also the sixth most visited city by digital nomads.
