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Souvenir shop on the Rambla in Barcelona, Source: Depositphotos

Barcelona councillor wants souvenir shops to go from old town

Barcelona councillor wants souvenir shops to go from old town

According to Albert Batlle, these establishments “don’t contribute anything” to the city

Two months ago, we reported on Barcelona’s plan to regulate the sale of tasteless souvenirs in a bid to promote a better image of the city as a tourist destination. Now, however, it seems that not just sex-alluding trinkets and cheesy keychains are under threat in the Catalan capital but also the very establishments that sell these items after the council for the Old Town district, Albert Batlle, expressed a desire to see them go.

Mr Batlle related his views in an interview with the Catalan News Agency (ACN) expressing the idea that these kinds of shops were not very beneficial to the local economy. In that category he also included the small stores selling mobile phone cases and similar accessories.

The councillor also questioned how such stores are capable of paying rents of up to 5,000 euros a month on busy central streets and called for the Tax Agency to clarify the business that is ongoing in these places.

Barcelona extends curbs on group tourism in the centre

The Catalan capital is undergoing a multi-pronged rejuvenation and rebranding strategy that seeks to restore livability for residents in the historic parts of the city while restricting rampant overtourism in places like the Rambla boulevard, Park Guell and other hotspots that generate constant visitor traffic.

Part of this new rebranding as a classier and more considerate destination has been the restrictions that were put on organized group tours going around the narrow streets of the medieval district.

With a view towards continuing coexistence between local residents and visitors – a term coined by the city’s administration to define its policy, recently it was announced that these restrictions have been extended until 2028.

We remind you that the restrictions include limiting tour group sizes to 20 people, walking only in one direction in the narrow streets of Ciutat Vella and prohibiting night pub crawl tours.

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