A “quite safe”, “friendly” city, “where you can find yourself”…, that’s how they define Barcelona the solo female tourists. The Catalan capital is considered especially “friendly” for these travelers, for being European and cosmopolitan, without ceasing to be hospitable. But it has been even more so for a year with the opening of a ‘hostel’ specifically created by and for women, Hostelle, which has become a great international claim. They not only find an environment especially safebut it is designed so that the travelers interact, have support and company to carry out activities in the city that perhaps they would not dare to do alone (such as going out at night) and to end up doing friendssometimes forever. A Romanian guest, Dana, recommends all women to try the experience, because otherwise “you will never get out of the bubble of insecurity.”
29.5% of visitors arrive in Barcelona alonealthough the quota includes both vacationers and professionals displaced for work, according to data from Barcelona tourism. But of them, 72.2% are men, which confirms that the unaccompanied female traveler is still a minority profile, although increasingly visible. The stays of ‘single’ travelers are longer and they tend to stay in hostels (20.5%) or private homes more than the rest, while hotel rooms are more affordable for couples. On average, those who arrive alone are 33.8 years old, regardless of gender, with the age range from 25 to 34 being the most prominent.
In the Catalan capital, the measures of female sign safety that the visitors can find are those linked to the prevention of sexual assaults or sexist violence. In 2018, the city hall I promote the ‘We won’t keep quiet’ protocol against attacks and harassment in private nightlife, with a renewed agreement in 40 spaces that train or have trained their staff to detect it and intervene if necessary. In the area of prevention, last year they deployed 96 lilac points with more than 9,500 actions to raise awareness and information, accompanying major festivals and events, municipal sources report. In fact, the one of Front Maritim It is active from the festival of Sant Joan.
Another key element is being able to return home or, in this case, to hotels without fear. In this sense, the Urban Police implemented four permanent safe itineraries in leisure areas to the nearest public transport stops to detect any situation of sexual violence (Front Marítim, Poblenou, Paral·lel and Gràcia/Sarrià–Sant Gervasi) in addition to those that are articulated during parties and festivals.
And precisely the hoteliers have joined this offensive, recently assuming a protocol, in collaboration with the Mossos d’Esquadra, to offer assistance to clients or anyone who needs it in case of sexual harassment. More than 70 hotels have already received specific training. He Guild of Hotels wants these spaces to be “safe & rdquor; for any potential affected.
experiences in the city
Barbara L., a 29-year-old American (from Boston) who has spent six days in Barcelona, summarizes the feeling of many, while heading towards the Cathedral. “As a woman I have felt comfortable, safe in general and quite free to dress as I wanted… The only risk I see in this city is thatand your mobile phone or wallet is stolen& rdquor ;, he says sarcastically, although he admits that he has done little nightlife. In western cities and open to tourism, the interviewees agree that a man can travel with much less precaution, beyond theft.
They usually wear the ‘autopilot’ on issues of sexual safety when they go alone: some care with the clothes they wear, the dark streets to avoid or public transport after a certain time. “In the areas of Barcelona that I have visited, I have seen many women alone, and that gives confidence,” adds this doctoral student who has treated herself to a trip to the old continent. But instinctive vigilance is always on.
The entrepreneur Bianca Brasdorp wanted to create accommodation where women could feel safe and “be themselves”, as in the Hostelle de Nou Barris
Knowing the feeling of vulnerability that weighs on many travelers, the entrepreneur Bianca Brasdorp opened a few years ago a first hostel in Amsterdam, for women only, with such success that many guests asked for options in other cities. I wanted spaces where I can say “I can be sure, I can be myself,” she tells us. Barcelona was chosen for a second experience, in April 2022, and has since attracted thousands of female travelers. Some clueless man has appeared there, without finding a place.
By between 25 and 60 euros per night, depending on the season, girls (mainly from 18 to 30 years old) and also mature travelers (up to 70) stay at the pleasant ‘hostel’ (hostel type) at Via Julia, 153, in new barris. It is structured in four large rooms with 20 bunk-type beds, which have a curtain to give them privacy. Each one is of a different color (blue, pink, yellow or brown) and has its own community bathroom area. Everything new, shiny and well cared for. No smell of shoes or unpacking of backpacks, and a lot of camaraderie accompany the routine of this space, which has a chill-out terrace to relax or sunbathe, with a mini gym, a work area and a community kitchen which is the heart of the place.
young and retired
Since not everyone has the facility to interact, the workers (of various nationalities) organize activities (from a group outing to the festival on the beach to a multilingual trivia night) all the time. The day this newspaper visited Hostelle, a night with tastings and sangria was announced. The Colombian women Amiris, f.eliz with her individual experience in the metropolis, confirms that from that ‘home’ of transit “you can make plans, go out” or establish ties. The good vibes attest to the dozens of little notes that the lodgers leave on the boardthanking the warmth received, the friendships forged or the memory they take from Barcelona.
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Nour Elimane Dayf, responsible for the Barcelona office, reports that they have just opened another in London, and that they will soon do so in Paris. “We like to integrate local culture into the project & rdquor ;, he says, which is why the hostel has numerous and colorful creations on its walls, of artists and students. “We want all travelers to feel comfortable and comfortable & rdquor ;, she underlines. And this feminine oasis entrenches Spanish, European, Latin, North American, Australian… it is ratified by a world map where each guest places a thumbtack in their country, and there are already those even in the Hawaiian area. An Iranian has just placed hers. And recently she even did it once. canadian pensioner that “I finally had time to discover the world & rdquor ;.