Thanks @milliefink for reopening the “Attack of the Tourons” thread 
I know this is more like “harm tourism does” and not “tourons gotta touron” but, will take the chance to put some local news (they are in catalan) along with a summary, so you know what it is coming to Barcelona this summer:
- Historical buildings (but working class, so no one except us amateur city historians is interested in preserving them) being torn down to raise luxury flats that no one in the city can afford: Enderroquen tres passatges del Poblenou per fer-hi pisos
- More than a third of the flats in my neighborhood are used for touristic purposes. There is 29.000 tourist beds for an area of 44.000 inhabitants. City councilor Albert Batlle warns that we’re reaching the point were the neihborhood cohesion breaks, essentially meaning that there’s a tipping point where this area of the city stops being a place to live, to become a Theme Park, something we’ve already seen in the Gothic quarter of the city - and they’ve been trying to reverse the damage for almost a decade -: El 66 % dels llits de la Dreta de l'Eixample són turístics
- A more poignant example of this is the case of a building with 120 flats, of whose 40 (originally was going to be 80, but the city council revoqued the license) are of touristic usage, and the constant annoyance that is for the people who lives there: vomit puddles on the common areas like stairs and light shafts (reminder that here we usually air dry our clothes in those shafts), constant breaking of the elevators because of abuse and misuse, and noise. Neighbours claim feeling desperate but don’t want to leave because housing prices are on the roof and they cannot go elsewhere except out of the city: Conviure amb 33 pisos turístics, el cas dels veïns del carrer de Tarragona
- Traditional business (in this case, a “granja” which is kind of a dry bar, usually specialized in milk products like hot cocoa. The kind of place that brings back memories of going with my parents after school) being thrown out because propietors want more profitable business there. The case related here was opened in 1982 and he fears they are not going to renew, or worse, up to an unsustainable price, the rent. The building, that has 13 flats, now only 4 are for residential use. The rest are offices or tourist apartments: Una granja, testimoni del canvis viscuts a l'Eixample
- One of the most emblematic markets in the city, la Boqueria, slowly morphed from local fresh market to the city’s gourmet pantry, and now is morphing into a tourist abomination. Stall owners have been greedily running bid wars, which inevitably attract companies that won’t offer the kind of product the Boqueria used to, while the old stalls complain that the new ones are running off* the old customers with their cheap fried food smell. La Boqueria, sobre les parades de fregits
And that is for the “depressing news” of today.
On positive news: people organized city movements are fighting against all of this, and the city is listening. There is a proposal to ban all tourist flats from the old quarter; an European law will make easier to discover and fine illegal tourist flats; and we managed to stop a speculator from tearing down an emblematic building from the Gracia neighborhood and Gracia council is now taking offers from local associations for use as cultural equipment.
Offtopic
^* Can someone confirm me that “running off” is the proper word? Trying to convey that the previous clients are turned off by the new situation and seeking other places. I think my English failed me here. (in Catalan, by the way the word is “foragitar”, which usually is translated as expel, but doesn’t sound right in the context).
Thanks for the overview!
I think it’s fine (because understandable), though in that situation, USians would say “driving away.”
That’s the word I was looking for, thanks
Intriguing take on distinctions between “tourism” and “travel.”
I do wish he’d acknowledged, though, that travel, getting lost, kicking it with random locals, and many other such joys of “travel” are not something many women would risk doing alone, as he apparently does.
Over the years, as I traveled to so many countries across the continents, I have had countless conversations with travelers and tourists alike. I have learned so much from all, and I’m deeply grateful for what I have learned, but I can’t help sharing a pattern I have observed about tourists: they often come across as not only individuals who weren’t profoundly altered by their travel experiences, but also, in many cases, I find them to be more narrow-minded and sticking to their old beliefs and values as if what they already know is and remains the only truth in the universe. Many encounters with tourists have proven to me that, for many, travel is a way to confirm their biases and worldviews rather than challenge, expand, disrupt, and turn their worlds upside down. It is like people who only watch TV news channels or read books that confirm their prejudices and beliefs of being from the “best, most wonderful, most civilized country in the world,” or such nonsense. Many tourists I have observed project the boring image of a couple walking hand in hand, dressed up in typical sporty Western clothes and gear that are supposed to make them look simple and humble, but such clothes and gear are not only more expensive than they look, but they also are carefully selected to make them look like they are from wealthier and more “privileged” countries – i.e. typical tourists. You often find them walking from one souvenir store to another buying items made in India and China, regardless of which country they are visiting. You see such tourists on prearranged tours led by carefully selected tour guides that each country chooses and even monitors to ensure that the version of the knowledge and information they provide about the country’s history, culture, and politics are completely aligned with that of the elites and political leaders of that country. For example, if the country is Westernized, embraces capitalism, or has a political elite that is supported or appointed by Western countries, one would always hear stories about how in previous times the country suffered from dictators, poverty, and lack of freedoms, and such superficial propaganda, but now everything is wonderful, hence you, the tourists, are able to come here and tour around safely. And, by the way, there is a Starbucks and KFC nearby, if you get hungry. And, of course, western tourists can never visit a place as tourists, unless that country is “liberated”, embraces capitalism and the “free market” model, and is rid of any political leaders that are considered adversaries to western elites.
Haiku Stairs: Hawaii attraction to be removed following bad tourist behavior
https://www.cnn.com/travel/haiku-stairs-hawaii-removal/index.html
The Haiku Stairs are comprised of 3,922 steps twisting through a 2,800 foot mountain trail in Kaneohe in eastern Oahu.
Despite the dangerous terrain, YouTubers, TikTokers, thrill-seekers and other tourists continued to access the stairs.
“Due to rampant illegal trespassing, Haiku Stairs is a significant liability and expense for the city, and impacts the quality of life for nearby residents,” Honolulu City Council member Esther Kiaʻāina told CNN affiliate Hawaii News Now.
Finally I get to post something more inline with the tourons theme
There were other news reports more detailed but unfortunately I haven’t been able to find it. In any case, here’s the story:
It’s become viral to let your phone in the mechanical staircase so you get a nice shot of you exiting the metro station to see the sagrada familia. Of course this is terribly disruptive, as setting up the shot occupies several people slot on the mechanical stairs, and obviously being Sagrada Familia station is quite popular and busy.
So the Metropolitan Public Transport autority had to finally put a sign expressively prohibiting doing that after several incidents involving entitled tourists demanding to be let record the take.
If you search #sagradafamilia on tiktok you’ll still find some videos with the title “the prettiest metro stop” or something along the lines… example:
Maybe install one of these at the end of the escalator for unattended phones to go into?
That said, using an escalator as a dolly/crane is a great idea and whoever came up with this shot first is a genius. It’s the uninspired copycats that are the problem.
Agreed on the second count. The first count is already covered: mechanical stairs tend to eat things if you’re not careful. The signs states the danger of getting something sucked by the stairs (and forcing the stairs to stop, and probably getting the something mangled in the process), and actually one of the concerns was the maintenance bill 
(Barcelonians usually don’t use this exit, but the one near the market. That exit is mainly for the temple and the temple only)
BTW, in other news, the Metropolitan Transport Authority also had to hide one neighbourhood bus line from google maps because tourists were saturating it to go see Güell Park.
Neighborhood buses are smaller than traditional buses as they are meant to move in cramped places and were introduced a couple decades ago to help elderly people move around the neighborhood. So it was quite bad especifically for elder people to find they could not use the bus because it was full of tourons.
The MTA (TMB here) said that since it was hidden from google maps (and the rest of apps) it recorded a steep descent of ticket validations.
With what? 
A drunken bison, maybe?
(Didn’t anyone else think, “a glacier?”)
I was thinking “a moose” but I know 0 of american geography so I don’t know if even are moose there 
And I though our drunks and their love of jumping off balconies was weird…
