The America’s Cup sailing race, the ultimate sporting competition for the super-rich, starts in Barcelona on Thursday, marking the latest attempt by one of the cities on the frontline of Europe’s overtourism crisis to attract “quality rather than quantity” tourism.
The event, which runs until 27 October, is sponsored by the luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton, which held a fashion parade in the Antoni Gaudí-designed Park Güell in the Catalan capital in late May.
Emirates Team New Zealand is the defending champion and will be challenged by boats from the UK, Italy, Switzerland, France and the US. The teams began establishing their bases in Port Vell, the city’s old port, over a year ago.
Ada Colau, Barcelona’s former mayor, fought off competition from two other Spanish cities – Valencia, which hosted the cup in 2007 and 2010, and Málaga – to secure host city status in 2022. The radical leftwinger, who was deposed in 2023, has since been highly critical of high-profile events in Barcelona, such as a week-long Formula One festival in June, which she condemned as inappropriate in a city that was trying to reduce car use and struggles with high levels of air pollution.
Some people who live in Barcelona have voiced opposition to the boat race, including residents of Barceloneta, the neighbourhood adjacent to Port Vell. Last year a group of 60 residents and community organisations came together to form the Platform Against the America’s Cup.
“It will bring nothing but every sort of misery to the city,” said the group’s spokesperson, Esther Jorquera, when the platform was launched, adding that the event was “elitist and opaque”.
Local people say they have been bombarded with calls from estate agents and speculators wanting to buy their homes to cash in on the event, which they say is pushing up rents.
Barceloneta is already one of the areas of Barcelona most affected by mass tourism, which has driven out much of the local population.
Campaigners argue that rather than attracting a “better”, high-spending type of tourist, events such as the America’s Cup simply bring more people to a city already struggling to cope with the mass of visitors.
City authorities say they expect the event to bring benefits of up to €1bn to the local economy. But critics say the potential income will be enjoyed by few, and have questioned why such a lavish competition has called for volunteers to organise the event rather than offer paid, seasonal jobs.
The America’s Cup, first staged on the Isle of Wight in 1851, is claimed to be the oldest international sporting event in the world. It was last held in 2021 in Auckland, New Zealand, and was won by the hosts.
