Spaniards turn water pistols on visitors to protest mass tourism
NPR Online NewsJUN 17
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While overtourism is an issue, protestors must not make rash decisions. Tourism provides essential economic benefits, generating 12% of Spain's GDP and supporting 150,000 jobs in Barcelona alone. Scaring tourists away, therefore, would be a disaster, and, as such, demonstrators should instead direct their energy toward policy-makers to effect change rather than attempt it on their own.