youUntil recently, the Sant Pere district of Barcelona had withstood the wave of mass tourism. A decade ago, many visitors who ventured there found it forbidding, if not a little spooky, and soon retreated to the more familiar and gentrified Gothic Quarter.
Then the city gave Sant Pere Més Baix, the main shopping street, a makeover and, although it was supposed to be for the benefit of the residents, as one local put it, “it was like rolling out the carpet red for tourists”.
First came the hotels, then Airbnb. The district of Sant Pere, Santa Caterina and La Ribera, which constitutes the northern part of the old town, is home to 22,000 people. Data from AirDNA, an independent rental data agency, shows that the area has seen a surge in the number of Airbnb apartments in recent years. Currently, there are over 1,000 Airbnb listings in the area.
Barcelona, at night.” data-src=”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f10370843d8577a2d972fd239905cfc5f5619403/0_0_3888_2592/master/3888.jpg?width=445&quality=85&dpr=1&s=none” width=”445″ height=”296.66666666666663″ loading=”lazy” class=”dcr-evn1e9″/>Residents say Airbnb has been a major factor in driving up rents in the neighborhood by almost 50% in recent years, forcing residents to move to more affordable areas of the city.
Jessie Delgadillo, 23, was born in the neighborhood and lives with her mother, sister and baby in Sant Pere Més Baix. The apartment is small and he would like to move to live with his girlfriend but, even though he is a relatively well paid data analyst, he cannot afford to rent anywhere in the area. To make matters worse, he is regularly kept awake at night by parties at a nearby Airbnb apartment, he says.
“It drives me crazy. And not just me. I think every neighbor in the building has called the police at least once,” he said.
“We decided this year to find a new apartment to live together, but I don’t think we will stay here. It makes me sad because I’ve been here all my life. But with prices so high, we will probably move to a city near Barcelona. Somewhere close, but with the peace and quiet we had before all of this.”
A combination of rising rents and stagnant wages means around four-fifths of Spaniards aged 16 to 30 still live with their parents.
Daniel Pardo, another local resident, dismisses suggestions that Airbnb benefits the local community. “It doesn’t add anything of value. It’s a classic middleman that puts two parties in touch in exchange for a big slice of the pie.
Pardo says the worst effect is that residents are being evicted, adding that he has far fewer friends in the neighborhood than 10 years ago.
The influx of tourist apartments has also radically changed local commerce. For centuries Sant Pere has been the wholesale clothing district of the city, but in recent years the trade has moved to the suburbs to be replaced by vegan cafes, souvenir shops, grocery stores bicycle rentals and Chinese nail bars.
“Over the past 10 years, my street has acquired two hotels, six nail bars, four restaurants where locals can’t afford to eat, two take-out pizzas, a shop selling cannabis products, a bar a juice shop and a store that sells suitcases,” says Joanna, Jessie’s mother. “However, we lost a greengrocer, a men’s clothing store, a bakery, an underwear store, a charcuterie and a video rental cooperative.”
The 175-year-old Santa Caterina Market is at the heart of the neighborhood and has become a local tourist attraction. So, do Airbnb customers buy food there so they can cook at the apartment?
“Not at all,” says Sergi Casaponsa, a butcher with a stall in the market. “I don’t know anyone who takes advantage of it. They don’t buy food to cook at home, they just get pizza to take away.