Abstract
The Hermitage Barcelona embodies the main debates that tend to surround satellite museums: cultural imperialism, political and economic interests, and gentrification and overtourism. The latter being one of its main characteristics. Barcelona had already been a victim of the proliferation of macro urban development projects for tourism which, since the 1980s, had made it one of the most visited cities in the world. All these projects required changes in the city’s historic port, with a strong impact on the population of the neighbouring areas. Despite this, no consultation process was carried out. The Hermitage-Barcelona illustrates the dynamics of city branding that have characterised the city’s tourist offer while generating a wave of criticism and protests from the residents of the most affected neighbourhoods. This research analyses the development, characteristics and debates related to the tourism model that have surrounded this project, putting them in context with the cessation of tourism flows as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. These have allowed the city to take a step back and consider the possibilities of new tourism models rooted in the territory that are committed to decentralisation, sustainability, and citizen well-being. Methodologically, a concurrent triangulation design with quantitative and qualitative analysis was used, taking into account the need to approach the subject from an interdisciplinary approach that reflects the multi-dimensional reality of the subject. The aim is to create an integrated framework that explains the interconnections between the economic, cultural, social, and urban dimensions of the case study through the lens of tourism.
Presenters
Alejandra Linares FiguerueloPhD candidate, Social Anthropology, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Critical Issues in Tourism and Leisure Studies
KEYWORDS
Museums, Tourism, Mass tourism, Overtourism, Gentrification, Protests, Culture, Heritage, Gentrification
