Locals squirt tourists w/ water guns: Barcelona mass tourism protests

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a little weekend house on the Shenandoah River. It's a small community of homes -- maybe just shy of 100, not all of them river front (most not river front). Unsurprisingly, several river front properties have been purchased and turned into AirBnbs fairly recently. A couple of homes were even built, brand new, as AirBnbs. I think in the last 5 years or so.

I actually worry about the folks who live there year-round doing something drastic (maybe even violent). The resentment has been brewing for years and is really bad at this point. The big complaint is speeding (our roads are gravel, speed limit is 15, and people have kids and pets out playing), but there is simmering class tension at the root of it. I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that rage is building regarding the Airbnbs.

So this does not surprise me. Airbnbs are stressing communities all over the world.

If there is any class tension rage building, your little non-primary residence is right in the bulls eye of it. You think you are better than people who can only afford to spend a few nights in your paradise, but you are not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If hotels would make more comfortable options for a family of four without having to get two rooms, I would absolutely use them over Airbnbs. But it almost always makes more sense cost wise for us to do an Airbnb, which gives us extra money to spend throughout the city on other stuff.

This argument comes up on every thread about traveling abroad/use of Air BnBs. And no one ever has an answer to how do locals travel across Europe. They must be renting Air BnBs too to travel with children, right?

I'm from France. People stay in actual B&Bs much more: places with a breakfast, sometimes dinner, a relationship with the hosts...They are not like "make a quick buck" type AirB&Bs invading cities at all, and they tend to be more in the countryside as well and not cities where housing is more scarce. In cities, growing up we stayed in hotels but that was not a common vacation for us. We sometimes rented a whole house as well, but through "gites de france" which are very regulated and again more rural. To this day we do not do AirB&B either in cities, just hotels.

Well this just furthers the point of why families opt for Air BnBs. To spend time in major European cities (where most foreigners not from the continent go) there is not a large amount of regular BnBs.

Also, staying in an actual BnB does not solve the room issue for families traveling. 2 adults + 2 teens are not staying in 1 room in the countryside BnB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If hotels would make more comfortable options for a family of four without having to get two rooms, I would absolutely use them over Airbnbs. But it almost always makes more sense cost wise for us to do an Airbnb, which gives us extra money to spend throughout the city on other stuff.

This argument comes up on every thread about traveling abroad/use of Air BnBs. And no one ever has an answer to how do locals travel across Europe. They must be renting Air BnBs too to travel with children, right?

Read the reviews of any place in Europe on Airbnb—you will see most of them are written by…surprise! Other Europeans!

So, yes - “They must be renting Air BnBs too to travel with children, right?”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure why locals assaulting tourists and harassing them is a good thing, especially since all these people are doing here in the reel is supporting local businesses, and the locals have no clue if they are staying at an air bnb or hotel...I personally stayed at a hotel in Barcelona and would have been pretty pissed off if people did this to me.

I’m the op and I agree. It speaks volumes about the locals. Imagine if we did that to tourists in DC?

“Walk on the left, stand still on the right!!!” Squirt squirt squirt

Now imagine if you couldn't find a place to live in your hometown because all the local housing stock was short term rentals going to tourists. Squirt squirt indeed.

Why do you think NYC moved to ban Air BnB?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a little weekend house on the Shenandoah River. It's a small community of homes -- maybe just shy of 100, not all of them river front (most not river front). Unsurprisingly, several river front properties have been purchased and turned into AirBnbs fairly recently. A couple of homes were even built, brand new, as AirBnbs. I think in the last 5 years or so.

I actually worry about the folks who live there year-round doing something drastic (maybe even violent). The resentment has been brewing for years and is really bad at this point. The big complaint is speeding (our roads are gravel, speed limit is 15, and people have kids and pets out playing), but there is simmering class tension at the root of it. I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that rage is building regarding the Airbnbs.

So this does not surprise me. Airbnbs are stressing communities all over the world.

If there is any class tension rage building, your little non-primary residence is right in the bulls eye of it. You think you are better than people who can only afford to spend a few nights in your paradise, but you are not.

We have owned our house there for over 30 years. My DH is on the board of the HOA (which does nothing but road upkeep). We know almost everyone, and were up there for a week last week dog sitting for a neighbor whose spouse had a stroke. We have done volunteer hard labor on the roads when they needed work and the coffers were running dry. We are part of the community, contribute to it more than most, and have do so for decades.

Not the same thing as the exploitive Airbnb situation at all. So take your assumptions and ignorant aggression elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If hotels would make more comfortable options for a family of four without having to get two rooms, I would absolutely use them over Airbnbs. But it almost always makes more sense cost wise for us to do an Airbnb, which gives us extra money to spend throughout the city on other stuff.

Way to prioritize your pocketbook over the far more critical housing rights of locals.

What else do you expect people to do?

They expect you to not travel to places where you cannot afford to stay in however many hotel rooms needed for your family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If hotels would make more comfortable options for a family of four without having to get two rooms, I would absolutely use them over Airbnbs. But it almost always makes more sense cost wise for us to do an Airbnb, which gives us extra money to spend throughout the city on other stuff.

Way to prioritize your pocketbook over the far more critical housing rights of locals.

What else do you expect people to do?

They expect you to not travel to places where you cannot afford to stay in however many hotel rooms needed for your family.

It’s not an affordability issue. It’s just nice to have an apartment with living and dining areas, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If hotels would make more comfortable options for a family of four without having to get two rooms, I would absolutely use them over Airbnbs. But it almost always makes more sense cost wise for us to do an Airbnb, which gives us extra money to spend throughout the city on other stuff.

Way to prioritize your pocketbook over the far more critical housing rights of locals.

What else do you expect people to do?

They expect you to not travel to places where you cannot afford to stay in however many hotel rooms needed for your family.

It’s not an affordability issue. It’s just nice to have an apartment with living and dining areas, etc.

^^also, sorry if the locals can’t afford it. They can move further out I guess. Simple supply and demand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure why locals assaulting tourists and harassing them is a good thing, especially since all these people are doing here in the reel is supporting local businesses, and the locals have no clue if they are staying at an air bnb or hotel...I personally stayed at a hotel in Barcelona and would have been pretty pissed off if people did this to me.

I’m the op and I agree. It speaks volumes about the locals. Imagine if we did that to tourists in DC?

“Walk on the left, stand still on the right!!!” Squirt squirt squirt

Now imagine if you couldn't find a place to live in your hometown because all the local housing stock was short term rentals going to tourists. Squirt squirt indeed.

Why do you think NYC moved to ban Air BnB?

DP. Because they edge in on the hotels’ profits. You think they actually care about affordable housing?

[Anonymous]

I mean if some bish squirted me, she would regret it. I don’t play. She’d at the very least have a torn ACL and maybe a fractured skull.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If hotels would make more comfortable options for a family of four without having to get two rooms, I would absolutely use them over Airbnbs. But it almost always makes more sense cost wise for us to do an Airbnb, which gives us extra money to spend throughout the city on other stuff.

Way to prioritize your pocketbook over the far more critical housing rights of locals.

What else do you expect people to do?

They expect you to not travel to places where you cannot afford to stay in however many hotel rooms needed for your family.

It’s not an affordability issue. It’s just nice to have an apartment with living and dining areas, etc.

Perhaps not for you, but the first PP is the one that said “But it almost always makes more sense cost wise for us to do an Airbnb” hence why the first response was about protecting PP’s pocketbook. If they wanted a bunch of extra rooms while on vacation they wouldn’t have introduced cost.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure why locals assaulting tourists and harassing them is a good thing, especially since all these people are doing here in the reel is supporting local businesses, and the locals have no clue if they are staying at an air bnb or hotel...I personally stayed at a hotel in Barcelona and would have been pretty pissed off if people did this to me.

I’m the op and I agree. It speaks volumes about the locals. Imagine if we did that to tourists in DC?

“Walk on the left, stand still on the right!!!” Squirt squirt squirt

Now imagine if you couldn't find a place to live in your hometown because all the local housing stock was short term rentals going to tourists. Squirt squirt indeed.

Why do you think NYC moved to ban Air BnB?

All it did was drive up hotel costs. Did nothing to help housing costs.

https://nypost.com/2024/06/29/us-news/nyc-airbnb-listings-drop-80-after-crackdown-but-did-not-help-hotels-housing-report/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If hotels would make more comfortable options for a family of four without having to get two rooms, I would absolutely use them over Airbnbs. But it almost always makes more sense cost wise for us to do an Airbnb, which gives us extra money to spend throughout the city on other stuff.

Way to prioritize your pocketbook over the far more critical housing rights of locals.

What else do you expect people to do?

They expect you to not travel to places where you cannot afford to stay in however many hotel rooms needed for your family.

It’s not an affordability issue. It’s just nice to have an apartment with living and dining areas, etc.

^^also, sorry if the locals can’t afford it. They can move further out I guess. Simple supply and demand.

Ahh let them eat cake so that you can travel where you want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If hotels would make more comfortable options for a family of four without having to get two rooms, I would absolutely use them over Airbnbs. But it almost always makes more sense cost wise for us to do an Airbnb, which gives us extra money to spend throughout the city on other stuff.

Way to prioritize your pocketbook over the far more critical housing rights of locals.

What else do you expect people to do?

They expect you to not travel to places where you cannot afford to stay in however many hotel rooms needed for your family.

It’s not an affordability issue. It’s just nice to have an apartment with living and dining areas, etc.

^^also, sorry if the locals can’t afford it. They can move further out I guess. Simple supply and demand.

Ahh let them eat cake so that you can travel where you want.

That’s how a free market economy works darling.

[Anonymous]

The logical conclusion of the argument is to ban all second homes and timeshares.