Protests 'negative' for tourism, warns Barcelona hotel sector
Industry association calls for more police controls against "insecurity" and "anti-social behaviour" as summer turnover falls by 14%
Hotel turnover in Barcelona decreased by 14% this summer compared to last year. This, according to the president of the city's hotel association, Jordi Clos, warning that protests are bad for the industry.
The drop has been more notable in higher-end establishments, where the overall fall in turnover was set at 18.5%.
Clos warned that these figures show a decline in the "quality of tourism" and a loss of the city's "reputation."
The president of the Barcelona Hotel Association called for more police controls against "insecurity" and "anti-social behaviour" in the capital. He has also demanded that the "Barcelona brand" be relaunched.
In his opinion, mobilizations in the city's streets that may occur in the coming weeks will be "negative" for tourism.
Catalonia's National Day
Clos' statement comes less than a week away from Catalonia's National Day, La Diada, on September 11 during which thousands of pro-independence supporters are expected to take to the streets.
The Spanish government will deploy 500 police officers in Catalonia in the run up to La Diada, and the first anniversary of the independence referendum on October 1, police sources have confirmed.
Around 100 extra Spanish police officers are already in Catalonia, taking the total figure of extra officers to 600.