The Casco Histórico de San Sebastián hosts an initiative against the turistification “Welcome to Pintxoland”
- The Bizilagun platform has pointed out that shops and hotel establishments for tourists in the Old Part of San Sebastian are the main causes of damage to the neighbors.
The platform with neighbors denounces through the initiative that “seriously harms” the neighbors of the Old Town Party of Donostia the mass tourist. They highlight that in the neighborhood the hospitality and commerce destined to tourism “are swallowing everything”: “Shops and hotel establishments are increasingly oriented to external visitors and are the main cause of the damage that has occurred in the lives of the neighbors: noise, trash, occupation of the urban space…”. On the other hand, they denounce that this situation “harms” the Basque: “In the letters, posters and advertising of restaurants, the main languages are Spanish, French and English, and Euskera has less and less presence.
The platform for the fall of tourism has placed ironic banners with the motto "Welcome To Pintxoland" and has distributed 5,000 leaflets on the street, representing leaflets of a pintxos bar. According to the members of the platform, this year will be “October against Turistification”. The initiative has been joined by the association of Bizi neighbours in the Old Part, the Basque Commission in the Old Part, the Young Assembly in the Old Part and Ernai in the Old Part.
“The tourism industry turns Euskera and Basque culture into a mere element of brand,” said the neighbors. They denounce that Euskera is “used” to give “a special touch” to the tourism experience: “Our city is conceived as a product for sale and Euskera is nothing more than a colorful bond that is made available to tourists.” They have also denounced that they operate in a model based on “congestion of consciousness” and “precarious working conditions” and that they are “strengths of the black economy”.
For resistance
The neighbors wanted to show their solidarity to the members of bars and restaurants that resist the “wild” hospitality model: “We do not want to stop mentioning the workers who work in Euskara and with respect to the Euskaldunes from the proximity and proximity”. They claim that San Sebastian should be oriented towards tourist decline: “It is essential to live well and live in Basque in the Old Part so that it is within everyone’s reach.”
