Miquel Puig (Tarragona, 1954), a renowned professor and former director of the Corporació Catalana de Mitjans de Comunicació (CCMA), has unambiguously expressed his radical stance in an interview, stating that Barcelona does not need more tourists. For him, the problem goes beyond coexistence or rental prices.
“"Low-cost tourism should go to another country. We cannot have affordable tourism, because it pays miserable wages. And tourist flats are part of this low-cost universe."
Puig argues that tourism holds an excessive weight in Barcelona's economy, as it is a low-wage and low-productivity activity. He adds that banning VUTs would cause about 10,000 homes to enter the market suddenly, leading to a drop in rental prices, since “to say otherwise is to ignore how the economy works.”
Regarding the impact on major events like the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the economist is forceful. He states that it is “absurd to size Barcelona's economic activity around a fair that lasts one week” and that congress attendees should stay in hotels, even up to 40 kilometers away, as happens in cities like Hamburg.
