Barcelona tackles tourist chaos with new Sagrada Familia zone
Barcelona plans to create a special tourist zone near the Sagrada Familia. This initiative aims to alleviate the ongoing chaos and conflicts with residents. Among other features, it will be designated for people who enjoy taking photos.
Barcelona, one of Europe's most frequently visited cities, faces challenges such as overcrowding, mass tourism, and increasing rental prices. To address some of these issues, city authorities plan to establish a special tourist zone near the Sagrada Familia.
An icon on the map of Spain with a new zone
The most famous Art Nouveau church in Barcelona, designed by Antoni Gaudí, attracts nearly five million tourists annually. Construction of this iconic basilica has been ongoing for over 140 years and is expected to be completed in 2026. The new zone aims to help manage tourism traffic and facilitate photography without disturbing others, both strolling residents and tourists.
The planned space of 66,736 square feet will be located between the Sagrada Familia and Plaça Gaudí. It is intended to allow tourists to take photos freely and rest without interrupting pedestrian and car traffic. Until now, tourists often engrossed in their cameras or phones, taking photos, selfies, and recording videos, have disrupted other users of this space, often without paying attention to them. Construction work will commence after the summer of 2025 and is scheduled to be completed by April 2026.
The cost of the investment is expected to be 2.7 million euros (approximately $2.9 million) and is part of a larger plan to modernize public spaces around the Sagrada Familia, with a total value of 15.5 million euros (approximately $16.8 million).
This is how they promote the Spanish city
Barcelona is also changing its approach to promoting the city. It has abandoned the slogan "Visit Barcelona" in favor of "This is Barcelona", to emphasize the city's authenticity and local character.
