Overtourism, development and Spring Break in Barcelona and Marseille, 20th - 21st century[Surtourisme, aménagement et Spring Break à Barcelone et Marseille, XXe - XXIe siècle]

The study of tourist behavior allows us to take another look at the changes in port cities in the Mediterranean, such as Barcelona and Marseille. For two centuries, tourists have increasingly contributed to building the identity of port cities. But if tourist activities and tourists can make these seaside areas attractive, they also contribute to making fishing districts repulsive, such as the old Barceloneta – a historic district of the Catalan capital – which has become a gigantic open-air nightclub. It is legitimate to ask whether tourism is a factor of rediscovered or altered port identity. Our study is based on research in the archives of the city of Barcelona and its tourist service, as well as on a survey of tourism professionals working for the Catalan capital and the Marseille metropolis. If tourist capitals like Barcelona and Marseille are counting on the benefits of tourism in a period of economic crisis, the damage caused by mass tourism is pointed out by artists and neighborhood associations, revealing the difficult reconciliation between the desires of holidaymakers and daily life. of the inhabitants and challenging the actors of these cities who are often confronted with contradictory representations of these spaces.