You don’t have to wander too far off the beaten path in Barcelona to find an anti-tourist message daubed on a wall.
“Tourists go home” is the most common refrain, usually delivered in block capitals and black spray paint, although the singular and more personal variant is almost as prevalent. Another alternative is “tourists go home, refugees welcome”.
The steps and walls leading towards the Unesco-listed Park Guell – a popular tourist trail with Antoni Gaudi’s city on the hill serving as its destination point – are daubed with the words “mass tourism kills our city” and the unsettling and thankfully unheeded “let’s lynch the tourists”. These messages appear with rhythmic cadence, but it would be wrong to say they are ubiquitous.
This weekend marks seven years since the August 2017 terror attacks on La Rambla in the centre of the city and a nearby coastal town, which killed 16 people and injured more than 100 more. The attacks were claimed by ISIS and prompted short-term concern that visitors may stay away from the city for months and years to come.
In the event, the extraordinary show of solidarity by residents and officials and their powerful “we are not afraid” message brought tourists back in record numbers. Barcelona hosted more than 20 million visitors in 2019, a peak before the once in a lifetime trough of 2020 when the world stood still and stayed home. Last year, more than 25 million visitors made an overnight stay in Barcelona and its environs.
More than 30 years after Barcelona hosted one of the great Olympic Games of the late 20th Century – delivering an event devoid of the tragedy, financial ruin, boycotts and scandals that had visited the previous five summer games – the city’s energy and its enviable portfolio of cultural assets act as an inviting beacon to the world.
Reuters reported this month that Spain received 42.5 million international visitors in the first six months of the year, putting it on track to equal or exceed last year’s record-breaking figure of 85 million visitors, given the third-quarter peak period of the year was still to come.
While Spain’s coastal resorts have almost always swelled with visitors during the summer months, Barcelona and Madrid now act as year-round cultural lodestars and the airports in both cities are among the busiest in Europe. Cruise ships disperse thousands of tourists every day into Barcelona in peak times, making it one of the most popular cruising destinations worldwide.
The city made global headlines last month when anti-tourism demonstrators took to the streets to fire water pistols at visitors who were sitting at outdoor cafes.
It was a damp squib demonstration and an almost comical form of protest, but it pushed its way on to summer news agendas. The protest was accompanied by demonstrators holding cardboard placards high in the air, which bore the same messages referenced earlier in this column. Estimates vary as to how many people took part, but the message was emphatically delivered.
Talk to those who live in Barcelona and they will offer their own view on how those graffiti messages and protests don’t speak for everyone and more likely express the views of a minority, an opinion regularly reinforced by the cafes and stores that unreservedly welcome visitors through their doors, sometimes only metres away from some spray-painted wall or other.
By several measures, Barcelona is operating close to the cutting edge of mitigating the worst effects of over-tourism, including acknowledgment by officials that change needs to come, although the protesters clearly believe it's not arriving fast enough.
Graffiti messages and protests don’t speak for everyone and more likely express the views of a minority
The location of the main cruise terminal has moved away from the city centre, in recognition of the disruption its presence can cause to local residents. The move also reduces the amount of leisure ships that can dock at any given time.
Hotel guests are charged a tourism tax, although the counter argument to such fiscal regimes is that relatively small charges will only deter the few. They do at least pay for something, however, be that street furniture, cleaning services or educational signage.
Barcelona’s major attractions also tightly control their visitor numbers and strongly advise people to book in advance, meaning “sold out” signs at places such as La Sagrada Familia are more common than those “tourists go home” placards.
That doesn’t stop thousands milling around outside the city’s prized attractions, but it does mean that queues don’t snake forlornly past apartment blocks.
It is in those same residential buildings that one of the keys to the over-tourism crisis may be found.
Earlier this year, the city’s Mayor, Jaume Collboni, said thousands of short-term rental licences would not be renewed when they expire in 2028, potentially returning these dwellings to the long-term market and allowing citizens to go back to city living after being priced out by Airbnb-style rentals to tourists. That is the hope, at least, although doubts persist as to whether this will deliver the necessary course correction.
If balance does return to the market then harmony may also prevail. Jobs, livelihoods and, perhaps, the future of an entire industry depend on that equilibrium being found – not just in Barcelona but in several other cities around the world that exist on the frontline of mass tourism.
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Getting there
The flights
Flydubai operates up to seven flights a week to Helsinki. Return fares to Helsinki from Dubai start from Dh1,545 in Economy and Dh7,560 in Business Class.
The stay
Golden Crown Igloos in Levi offer stays from Dh1,215 per person per night for a superior igloo; www.leviniglut.net
Panorama Hotel in Levi is conveniently located at the top of Levi fell, a short walk from the gondola. Stays start from Dh292 per night based on two people sharing; www. golevi.fi/en/accommodation/hotel-levi-panorama
Arctic Treehouse Hotel in Rovaniemi offers stays from Dh1,379 per night based on two people sharing; www.arctictreehousehotel.com
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23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees
Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Abaya trends
The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.
What is a black hole?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Asia Cup Qualifier
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6: Final
Asia Cup
Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Schedule: Sep 15-28
Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Napoleon
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Score
New Zealand 266 for 9 in 50 overs
Pakistan 219 all out in 47.2 overs
New Zealand win by 47 runs
New Zealand lead three-match ODI series 1-0
Next match: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, Friday
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Avengers: Endgame
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin
4/5 stars
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
The Rub of Time: Bellow, Nabokov, Hitchens, Travolta, Trump and Other Pieces 1986-2016
Martin Amis,
Jonathan Cape
