What to do about overtourism? Part 5 of the BRACELONE SAGA! – Werkstatt für antifaschistische Aktionen

Season finale of BRACELONE – THE SAGA! We were in Barcelona. At the „Ban Fossil Ads“ conference. There, we stumbled upon an adbusting action against the airport expansion. We folded paper airplanes from advertising posters along with many other people and placed them in advertising displays. Two people were arrested, three were questioned, a bar was raided by the cops, and all the data of the conference participants was collected at the hostel. Reason enough to question ourselves and our own behavior. During the arrest, the cops asked, annoyed, if the individuals involved would do such nonsense at home too (see part 1 of the BRACELONE SAGA). Here are our thoughts on overtourism and exasperated cops who can’t find apartments because of exorbitant rents.

Taking the train offers immunity from criticism.

After all, we and those affected came to Barcelona by train instead of by plane. Otherwise, the people affected would have looked pretty foolish in the face of the cops‘ exasperated question as to why they were doing this in BRACELONE: THE SAGA! and not at home. So: taking the train offers immunity from criticism.

Participating in over-tourism?

Understandably, we spent very little time on this in the debriefing, as there were more pressing matters to discuss. One opinion we were initially satisfied with was that what we were doing in Barcelona was okay because none of us were engaging in tourism. Our tourism, they argued, wasn’t tourism because our action and our participation in the conference were contributing to and „participating“ in the „local community.“

Reflection

We’ve since had some time to reflect on this and discuss the thesis. We doubt that it would satisfy the people working in Barcelona who cannot find affordable housing in the city for their families. That’s why we are now refining our position.

Is tourism a problem?

Tourism is the temporary relocation of people to places outside their usual home or workplace, to which they return after a relatively short time. Many people find this appealing. They see new things, regions, and customs. Many people are also happy when tourists visit them and show interest in their part of the world.

Over-tourism

It becomes problematic when tourism makes life difficult for the people living at the tourist destination. Problems include housing shortages, rising prices, displacement, and the resulting increase in traffic. And it’s especially problematic when a select few pocket the profits while the general public has to bear the consequences.

What can be done about overtourism?

Barcelona has a tourist tax. It’s six euros per day, and from the seventh day onward, it’s free. In Venice, you have to pay an entrance fee. And when it’s full, it’s full. But at what point is the entrance fee or the tax high enough? Because those who profit from overtourism will pull out all the stops to keep these costs as low as possible. And how do you ensure that those affected by overtourism benefit, and not just those with the most influence? And that they then spend the money on social housing instead of on military preparedness?

The Viennese way?

Second idea: Social housing. That helps. And it mustn’t be turned into Airbnbs. It works in Vienna! Incidentally, they’ve also spectacularly expanded their public transportation system there over the last 40 years.

Participation?

One idea is to participate in the local community. How does one participate in a local community? Do you pay appropriately high prices so that people can have a good life? Is that enough? Or should we stay for at least three months and do some kind of European civilian service, taking on poorly paid social jobs?

Want to join in?

A quick aside: The people at the Can Masdeu housing project, where we stayed, don’t feel overwhelmed with visitors. They welcome them. They allow a 14-day stay if you contribute 14 hours a week to the work and tasks in, on, and around the house. More info: https://canmasdeu.net/

Looking for other destinations?

Or should we look for other destinations? And go somewhere where tourism is still a welcome contribution to the community? Two of us used the trip to BRACELONE: THE SAGA! to visit the Basque Country. In a relatively unknown small town, which they mainly visited, they paid less per person for a nice hotel room than we did in Brazil for an ugly hostel bunk bed in a cramped 8-bed room without a table, wardrobe, or chair. Not to mention the lousy hostel breakfast…

Exploitation of the periphery?

Or is visiting places that are still less represented on Instagram simply exploitation of the periphery in a capitalist system? The German Wikipedia states: „In many places, tourism has preserved industries threatened by decline and – as in the Western Alps – counteracted the depopulation of entire regions.“ This leads to the next question: Is there a right way to live in a wrong world?

Meetings almost always in Berlin?

What’s the deal with overtourism here? Why do we, with our nationwide network, the Antimilitarist Action Network (a2n),

hold most of our meetings here in Berlin? Why do most people like meetings in Berlin? And another question we still don’t have a proper answer to. But the next Rebellious Gathering of the Antimilitarist Action Network is in Stuttgart:

Reference to the German Armed Forces?

We’re considering whether we could give the paper airplanes a connection to the German Armed Forces. Here are the first experiments, which still need some development: