Barcelona’s BComú party has launched a campaign in Barceloneta calling on Mayor Jaume Collboni to move €50 million from tourism promotion into housing policies.
The announcement was made on the Barceloneta seafront promenade by Gerardo Pisarello, BComú’s candidate for mayor, alongside Carol Recio and Gemma Tarafa, who leads the municipal group. The party used a truck carrying a giant €50 million note with the mayor’s face and the message, “Mayor Collboni wastes your money attracting more tourists.”
Pisarello said the city government is not thinking critically about mass tourism, and argued that the pressure is hitting districts such as Eixample, Ciutat Vella and Poblenou. He said this is pushing up rents and leaving many residents on “absolutely precarious” wages.
BComú will take the proposal to the municipal plenary session next week, and plans to collect signatures across Barcelona’s neighbourhoods until the summer. The party says the city government has halved housing investment, which it says makes the housing crisis worse.
The party also pointed to Barcelona’s 26 million tourists last year, saying that figure calls for tighter control of the tourism model rather than more promotion. Pisarello said BComú does not want the €50 million to turn Barcelona into a theme park, and argued the city should be run for residents, not just visitors.
BComú also criticised the delayed reduction of cruise terminals, which it said was still not in place two summers after it was announced, and its opposition to the government’s support for expanding Barcelona Airport. For more local coverage, see our Community and Sport pages.
Originally published by 20 Minutos Barcelona. Read original article.
