Barcelona airport is going to be enlarged, it’s finally been decided. What for? So even more tourists can come and densify what is already the most densely populated city in Europe? The politicians in charge say this is necessary to make the city ‘more competitive’ in the (global) market. Curiously, peddlers of penis enlargements promise something very similar: to become ‘more competitive’ in the (meat) market. Does anybody actually believe promises made by senders of spam? We should be equally dubious of promises made by politicians.
Barcelona needs more housing and improved rail service, not a bigger airport. In fact, it needs a smaller airport, so that flying here becomes more expensive. Yes, I realize that makes flying out of Barcelona (to escape the tourist invasion) more expensive too, but I am more than willing to pay a premium for some exclusivity on the rare occasions that I actually fly anywhere. The cost of flying urgently needs to reflect the true price paid by the environment. Make polluters pay!
Besides, we don’t need to be ‘more competitive’ in the global tourist trap market. We’re more than competitive enough: just look at the line ups in front of Casa Batlló, Sagrada Familia, or at ticket vending machines in metro stations, which are so complex to use that tourists require at least 10 minutes each to buy a metro ticket. The saturation of Barcelona by tourists is making it increasingly difficult for locals to get around. That’s the real mobility problem.
During the first half of the 19th century, during an industrial revolution that provoked Barcelona’s population to increase manyfold, the city struggled against the Spanish army so that the defensive walls surrounding their overcrowded and disease-ridden town could be demolished and the city could grow outwards. Those struggles are once again back, except instead of being directed against the Spanish army, this time they are directed against the local tourism industry; a powerful cartel consisting in no small part of genuine swindlers and crooks (the worst of the worst: property speculators and big owners of tourist apartments).
An enlarged airport will only benefit the local tourism industry, not tourists. One of the most frequently cited complaints by the many tourists visiting Barcelona is “there are too many tourists visiting Barcelona.” Citizens of the world: exercise your right to protest and boycott Barcelona until it’s less touristy!
Enlarging the airport, like enlarging a penis (I imagine), will only create a short-lived sensation of masculine superiority and competitiveness. The feeling of inadequacy will return in no time. As everybody knows, it’s not size that matters.
Criticalista 
1 Comment