The Other’s Wave: Ethnographic Insights on Three “Tsunamis of Tourism” in Barcelona

Before the outbreak of COVID-19, case Barcelona was an emblematic example how a city had turned into iconic tourism destination in few decades thanks to smart, yet incautious, development policies based on most attractive features is endowed with. The paper critical reflection analyzing major complications, called “tsunamis”, has faced recent years: political instability, terrorism and tourismophobia. aims at 1) retracing causes motivations but also community reactions sociocultural consequences three tsunamis, 2) trying learn lessons from Barcelonan study proposing solutions tourismophobia phenomenon. results stem ethnographic fieldwork undertaken during IPAC Summer School 2018, whose aim understand paradox international tourism, once bringing economic benefits creating disequilibria. analysis considers written sources participant observation fieldworks Barcelona.