 The Popular ‘Revolt’ of Barceloneta: Local Resistance to Overtourism and Gentrification—The Platform and Concierge Economy in the Mediterranean (Airbnb), Between Reality and Media ManipulationLa « révolte » populaire de la Barceloneta: des résistances locales face au surtourisme à la gentrification: l’économie de plateforme et de conciergerie en Méditerranée (Airbnb). Entre réalité et manipulation médiatiquePatrice Ballester ()
Post-Print from HAL Abstract: The study of tourist behaviours and the reactions of inhabitants of Mediterranean fishing districts provides a fresh perspective on the evolving social and economic dynamics that underlie the revolt of a popular neighbourhood, as exemplified by the case of Barceloneta in Barcelona. For over two centuries, tourists have increasingly contributed to shaping the identity, economy, and property values of coastal areas. While tourism has undoubtedly enhanced the attractiveness of seafronts, it has also profoundly disrupted local life in neighbourhoods such as the historic district of Barceloneta—once a traditional fishing enclave, now transformed during the summer months into a vast open-air nightclub. It is thus legitimate to ask whether tourism—particularly in its most excessive form, overtourism—has become a catalyst for new modes of urban revolt. This article offers a preliminary synthesis of four years (2020–2024) of ethnological research conducted in the working-class district of Barceloneta. Here, ethnology is understood as the analysis of residents' narratives combined with an immersive, descriptive study of a popular, and at times criminalised, neighbourhood marked by Mediterranean sociabilities and a specific lifestyle shaped by intricate property interactions. Our aim is to understand the underlying social structures, the reasons for local discontent, and the impetus behind a popular uprising in which tensions between cultural and tourist practices manifest in a historic and symbolically charged part of the Catalan capital. The initial hypothesis rests on the identification of two opposing groups—residents and tourists—and on the effort to grasp the origins of the revolt. Yet, the boundary between grassroots resistance and locally constructed discourses proves more elusive than anticipated. Methodologically, this study combines participant observation with interviews of residents and an analysis of the rise of a new global lodging system—typified by the Airbnb platform—as a triggering factor in the conflict. The objective of this article is to identify three or four key drivers behind what has become a symbolic, political, and media-charged ‘revolt'. Although Barcelona has long been the site of social movements, urban occupations, and protests—particularly in the Poblenou district or during the 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures—recent years have seen the emergence of comparable case studies in other emblematic cities of European urban tourism, such as Lisbon, notably in relation to the Airbnb ecosystem. The complexity of urban life and the interactions between sedentary and nomadic populations must be approached through the prism of housing, which lies at the heart of urban struggles. This analysis takes as its starting point the major protest of 2014—a moment that marked the beginning of a global debate on overtourism. It offers a reflection on collective neighbourhood memory and the televisual framing of the event in contemporary media. The ‘Revolt of Barceloneta' delineates a clear before-and-after in Barcelona's political landscape, and the episode appears to have had a salutary impact on media discourse. In this context, it is essential to revisit the touristic dimension of Barcelona and its port, as well as the demographic and cultural specificities of Barceloneta, which help explain a form of protest unseen since the pivotal year of 1992. Added to this are the voices of the district's residents, who articulate the intersection of economic, demographic, and housing pressures that have crystallised into a broader crisis of social and residential precarity. Lastly, the media's portrayal of the Barceloneta revolt—when examined alongside a decade of investigations by various press groups—reveals a complex ambivalence in the expectations of Catalan society. This article contributes a novel insight to the global literature on overtourism by analysing how long-standing residents may, for both avowed and unspoken reasons, manipulate media narratives. In doing so, they become complicit in an urban tourism process and a mechanism of housing exclusion that is far more intricate than it might initially appear, underscoring the profound complexity of the urban condition. Keywords: Overtourism; revolt; port; housing; gentrification; media; manipulation; Mediterranean; Barcelona.; Surtourisme; révolte; logement; médias; Méditerranée; Barcelone (search for similar items in EconPapers) Published in Émeutes, révoltes collectives et réactions sociales : producteurs et pacificateurs de désordres urbains dans les quartiers populaires, Éditions L'Harmattan, 1-24p., A paraître There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it. Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05175068 Access Statistics for this paper More papers in Post-Print from HAL |
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