The recent wave of protests against tourism in Spain is beginning to take its toll, with visitors to the country saying they are increasingly thinking twice about their choice of destination.

This is what several Americans who work with the Wall Street JournalHe admitted that the images of protesters holding signs with slogans such as “Tourist, go home” made them doubt.

“We love Barcelona, ​​but if they want to limit tourism, we will definitely take that into account in the future,” said Val Gui, a 36-year-old executive from Boston who visited the Catalan capital with his family last week.

Gui told the newspaper that he sympathized with the city’s residents, who complain about sky-high rents, noise pollution and crowded streets, and compared the situation to San Francisco.

Read more: Anti-tourism protests reach Barcelona: Thousands of residents take to the streets as they ‘lock down’ hotels and restaurants

He explained that his family had a pleasant stay and that they were treated well by the staff.

But he admitted he felt uncomfortable with the amount of graffiti targeting travelers like herself.

A wave of protests calling for a change in the tourism model has already broken out in Spain this year, with demonstrations taking place in Mallorca, Malaga and the Canary Islands.

But while protests against tourists were also held in Barcelona on July 6, with a 13-point manifesto calling for a new model of tourism, the demonstrators directly attacked tourists, spraying them with water pistols, taping off the entrances of hotels and eateries and verbally abusing them.

Speaking after the demonstration to The timesHotel managers called the protesters “not very intelligent” and feared their actions could damage Spain’s reputation as a foreign holiday destination.

Madison Smith, 25, who works in marketing in Boston, told the Wall Street Journal how she had responded to the protest in Barcelona.

She had booked an Airbnb in the Catalan capital because it was cheaper than a hotel, but she asked other users on the website Reddit for advice about whether she should stick to her itinerary.

“I felt a little guilty and uncomfortable, and I wasn’t sure if I should go, so I changed my travel plans,” she said.

Instead, she chose to travel to Madrid, with a brief stop in Barcelona.

Meanwhile, Ane Cvetkova, 42, from North Macedonia, told the Wall Street Journal that she agrees that measures are needed, such as limiting the number of visitors to Barcelona on cruise ships.

But she said she will still go to the city regularly, as it is her favorite activity.

“Personally, I have never felt unwelcome or experienced any hostility from the locals,” she said.

Travel agents and hotel companies have said the protests have not yet had an effect on bookings, but as can be seen from comments made with the Wall Street Journal As the extensive reporting on the behavior of the protesters in Barcelona shows, this is also visible on the radar of foreign travelers.