‘The end of the road’: the man on a mission to take Barcelona back from overtourism

Key points

• After decades of relentlessly marketing their vibrant Mediterranean city, the Barcelona authorities have appointed a man on a mission to say “no more” – and, he says, to return its most iconic market back to local residents.
• Last year, the Barcelona area attracted 26 million visitors, up 2.4% on 2024. The appointment of José Antonio Donaire as the city’s first commissioner for sustainable tourism represents a significant change of heart and a shift away from viewing tourism as an unalloyed good to believing it is alienating citizens and eroding the Catalan capital’s identity.
• “We’ve reached the end of the road, Barcelona has reached the maximum number of tourists it can accommodate,” he says.
• “We don’t want more tourists, not even one more, but we need to manage those we have.” View image in fullscreen Tourists visit Park Guell.
• Barcelona and its surrounding provinces attracted 26 million visitors last year.