Translated and edited article:

Barcelona City Council will launch a model this summer that it defines as ”pioneering” to manage the areas with the highest tourist influx in the city. Specifically, it has delimited 16 High Affluence Spaces (EGA) to act in a specific way and minimize the negative externalities of tourism. ”We are at the limit of tourists,” admitted this Wednesday the deputy mayor of Economic Promotion, Jordi Valls, who added that tourism has not only recovered in the Catalan capital after the pandemic but has set new records. For the municipal government, it is essential to intervene in public spaces to facilitate the flow of people and make the visitor’s experience positive.

Of the 16 spaces, the city council has prioritized the Sagrada Família, Park Güell, and the area between Mercat de la Boqueria and Plaza de la Gardunya. These will be the first to be acted upon, as they have a higher number of visitors. They also consider tourist areas to be Passeig de Gràcia-Plaça Catalunya, the Gothic Quarter, La Rambla, the Sant Pere-Santa Caterina-La Ribera area, and Barceloneta. The rest are Camp Nou, Montjuïc-Poble Sec, Les Glòries, the Front Litoral, Parc del Fòrum, Rambla del Poble Nou, Turó de la Rovira, and Mercat de Sant Antoni.

Specifically, they will deploy 33 actions, with an investment of 44.2 million euros in this term. Among the short-term measures, the expansion of civic agents, reinforcement of cleaning and security, a campaign to control street vending, and the reorganization of tourist bus routes stand out. In the long term, they also plan to use applications that allow sending alerts to mobile phones with instructions and suggestions to tourists to avoid visiting crowded places and advise them on other less crowded areas.

The EGA Plan is accompanied by a communication campaign, with the slogan ’Barcelona, our home. And yours’ and the subtitle ’Everyone is welcome. Be respectful and you’ll be respected’, which can be seen in the city from this week. With this, they aim to raise awareness among tourists about the need to respect the rules when visiting Barcelona. The campaign, with a budget of around 400,000 euros, contains a decalogue with seven tips written in English:

1. ”Everyone is welcome. Be respectful and you’ll be respected.”
2. ”Enjoy the city! But please respect the neighbors’ nighttime rest.”
3. ”The best way to keep the city clean: don’t litter.”
4. ”Discover Barcelona’s hidden corners. Our tourist office will help you.”
5. ”The easiest way to get around the city: on foot or by public transport.”
6. ”We are proud of our city. Take care of it like we do!”
7. ”In Barcelona, we use our water responsibly. Every drop counts, so do your part!”

The messages are visible in tourist information offices, hotels in the city, municipal markets, buses, at the airport, or train stations. They will also be found in especially touristy places such as Plaça Catalunya, Sagrada Família, Sant Miquel beach, in the Port de Barcelona area, where cruise passengers disembark, or in Plaça dels Països Catalans.