Barcelona and Bali may be two very different destinations in terms of culture, climate, and continent, but these two tourism hotspots can certainly compare notes.
Barcelona hit international headlines over the last few years as local residents protested against the impacts of overtourism, an issue that Bali has been skirting around for some time.
Many tourism leaders in Bali have been vocal about their opinions on overtourism in the province. The general consensus is that the island as a whole is not experiencing overtourism, but specific resort areas are sitting on the brink of overtourism.
In practice, Bali is experiencing pockets of mass tourism that urgently need infrastructural and operational improvements, as well as a rapid halt to land conversion for tourism and commercial property development.
Barcelona is perhaps a warning sign for Bali, and with the city about to introduce a wave of new measures to tackle overtourism, it could be a source of inspiration for leaders in Bali looking to future-proof the island and sustain the tourism economy while preserving local culture and the island’s ecosystem.
Barcelona welcomed 26 million tourists in 2024, more than triple the 7 million international tourists Bali welcomed in 2025. With protests breaking out across the city as residents voiced concerns about the impact of mass tourism on their day-to-day lives, Barcelona appointed José Antonio Donaire as the city’s first Commissioner for Sustainable Tourism.
Donaire has got to work quickly, and is set to change the way in which Barcelona operates for local residents and tourists. Speaking to reporters, he explained, “We’ve reached the end of the road, Barcelona has reached the maximum number of tourists it can accommodate.” Adding “We don’t want more tourists, not even one more, but we need to manage those we have.”
One of his first missions is to return the iconic La Boquería market to a functional fresh produce market that is of use to local residents, and ban the sale of takeaway snacks, which now dominate the market. Donaire explained, “Within a year, you’ll see the new Boquería.”
The city is on a mission to curtail visitor numbers, a mission that has been underway since 2017. Nearly ten years on, it seems that little progress has been made, and progress was hampered by the rapid rise in the number of Airbnb-style short-term rental properties that were opened up.
Barcelona is taking massive steps to tackle the situation, and in 2028, 10,000 legally registered tourist apartments will have licenses revoked to help create more rental properties for local residents.
Donaire is hopeful that by learning from the mistakes of New York City, which implemented a similar policy in 2022, a meaningful change will be made almost overnight.
Donaire explained, “At the moment the housing stock is growing by 2,000 homes a year,” adding, “If we can get those 10,000 tourist apartments on the residential market, it’s the equivalent of five years’ growth.”
The rental market in Bali for Balinese residents and Indonesian nationals is tough. Inflation, triggered by the tourism market, has led to a rapid increase in monthly rents and fewer properties for local people. The average monthly income for a worker in Bali is IDR 3.6 million a month, which is around USD 240.
Perhaps where Bali can learn most from Barcelona is through its targeting of tourists by demographic. Donaire explained that 65% of all tourists to Barcelona are categorized as ‘leisure tourists,’ with the remaining 35% comprises of ‘cultural visitors’ and those attending conferences or events.
Donaire is on a mission to reset the balance, reducing the number of leisure tourists and balancing the scales with more cultural tourists and those attending conferences and events. These two categories of tourists in Bali are generally referred to as the ‘high quality’ tourists who leaders feel spend more and engage with local culture in a more meaningful and less extractive way.
Donaire is on a mission to crack down on tourists who promote activities that can lead to antisocial behavior, such as organized pub crawls. He was clear: “We’re not interested in this type of tourism, and we want it to disappear.”
What is clear is that Bali changes and evolves, and all top tourist destinations, experiencing both the benefits and negative impacts of welcoming millions of people through the gates, must learn from one another to create a world where travel and tourism benefit local people, tourists, preserve and promote culture, and support the environment.
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