• More than 180 international activists will meet from 3rd-6th July at a conference in Barcelona for the reduction of tourism and aviation
• The conference comes less than a month after the Catalan regional government approved the expansion of Barcelona’s El Prat airport
• Hundreds of groups across the world have expressed support for the opposition to the El Prat expansion

3rd July 2025 –  More than 180 international activists meet in Barcelona from 3rd-6th July 2025 to connect the issue of over-tourism with aviation and housing rights.

The conference focuses on developing strategies for campaigning against the negative impacts of air traffic and tourism and the impact of these on housing.

It comes less than a month after the Catalan regional government approved a 3.2 billion euro expansion of the city’s biggest airport. The decision flies in the face of the urgent need to cut emissions and goes against Barcelona’s plan to reduce the number of tourists and the growing movement against over-tourism in the area.

Aviation is responsible for 89% of the carbon footprint of tourism in Barcelona and 80% of tourists arrive by air. The airport is already Catalonia’s biggest emitter, generating over 8 million tonnes of CO2 annually – more than double that produced by the city of Barcelona excluding the airport. The expansion would increase CO2 emissions by at least 33%, contradicting Catalonia’s climate commitments.

The conference is being organised by the Stay Grounded Network and the Zeroport Platform and will take place at Bloc 4, Can Batlló. Participants will meet in Barcelona without a flight taken.

The conference will be accompanied by two parallel conferences taking place in Mexico City, Mexico, and Bangalore, India, which will connect to one another and Barcelona via online sessions as well as running separate in-person programmes.

The programme focuses on highlighting the links between air traffic and tourism, two sectors that work together to disastrous effect. It will offer a combination of in-depth discussions on topics such as aviation, tourism and housing, and their interconnections. There will also be workshops on resistance strategies, keynote lectures, interactive activities and cultural and artistic events.

The more than one hundred activists who will participate in Catalonia will travel by land from 12 different countries: Spain, Belgium, Poland, United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, France, Portugal, Netherlands, Italy, Hungary, Denmark. There will also be online participation from people from Ireland, the USA, Canada, Colombia, Switzerland, Georgia, South Africa and Sweden.

Events open to press:

Sessió inaugural | Construint un moviment fort i divers
Thursday July 3rd, from 5.30 to 7.30pm. Bloc 4, Can Batlló

Open event | Aviation and touristification – pillars of a model incompatible with life in Barcelona

Saturday July 5th, from 6.30 to 8pm. Bloc 4, Can Batlló

PRESS CONTACTS:

• Hannah Lawrence, [email protected], (+43) 0670 550 09 34
• Clàudia Custodio Martinez, Zeroport and Observatori del Deute en la Globalització, [email protected], (+34) 640745025

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

• Stay Grounded is a network of over 200 member initiatives around the world, including community groups surrounding airports, NGOs, and trade unions. The network campaigns for a fair reduction of aviation and for a just mobility system that works for all, now and in the future.
• Our recruiting, training, and capacity building is supported by the Climate Emergency Fund, which strategically supports ultra-ambitious organizations demanding solutions to the climate crisis at emergency speed.
• We are very happy to facilitate setting up with interviews with relevant participants.