A holidaymaker has ruffled feathers online after blasting locals for a “very warm welcome” – while posing next to a “tourists go home” sign.
The young woman spotted several pieces of similar graffiti during her trip to Barcelona this week.
The yoga teacher and tattoo artist, from Ukraine, now living in Hamburg, who has not shared her name, joked: “Thanks Barcelona for very warm welcoming.”
The post went viral on social media, garnering over 400,000 likes – but locals weren’t happy, as reported by Luxury Travel Daily.
“As it should be,” said one viewer.
Another critic commented: “Go home.”
“It’s not funny, because of disrespectful tourism we locals can no longer stay in our cities,” said another local.
One critic added: “Prices of everything increase because of mass tourism, it’s not hard to understand. Only air bnb and restaurants are happy with mass tourism.”
“Bro, we can’t live in our city because of the tourists,” said someone else.
Another viewer wrote: “Not something to laugh at tbf. touristy places are pretty much unlivable for locals.”
Someone else quipped: “Laughing at gentrification and the fact that local people can no longer live in their care, how cute.”
“Correct we are overwhelmed by tourism,” another user insisted.
Someone else said: “Go home.”
However, other people defended the traveller.
One person pointed out: “This is very rude. Spanish travel anywhere and stay at airbnbs also and generally are loud people. If there is a housing problem it’s the job of the government to fix it and not of tourists.”
“Barcelona is funny, lives on tourism but hates tourists,” said another user.
Someone else commented: “Good campaign, one less place to visit.”
Mass tourism protestors squirted water at tourists in the city earlier this summer during a large-scale demonstration.
The mayor of Barcelona pledged to eliminate short-term tourist lets in the city within five years due to the reported issues.
The anti-tourism movement appears now to have moved to Costa Blanca, with a ‘Tourists go home’ banner seen for the first time in a resort popular with Brits.
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