Sustainable development as a term emerged as early as the 19th century and is defined as development that meets the needs of today’s generations without compromising development possibilities of future generations. That is, it is a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investment, the orientation of technological development and institutional changes are in harmony. The foundations of tourism in Barcelona date from 1888, that is, the World Exhibition, when the construction of cultural attractions begun. The next major event and the big boom of Barcelona took place in 1986, when the organization of the 25th Olympic Games, which took place in 1992, was obtained. The Olympic Games have given Barcelona the foundation for developing tourism and building a brand of one of the most popular tourism destinations. Since then, tourism in Barcelona has evolved steadily, as clearly indicated by both physical and financial indicators. There is a sharp decline in tourism turnover during the global economic crisis, but with steady investment in development, Barcelona has seen a steady increase in tourism indicators again after the crisis, to this day. Although Barcelona is proud of its own development, it is also a victim of overtourism and faces many negative challenges, such as environmental pollution, destruction of infrastructure, price increases and the inability to find residential properties. The city authorities, the Barcelona Tourist Board and the locals are working together to prevent negative effects of overtourism from occurring by various measures and decisions, such as limiting the number of tourists in the city center, charging for entrances to cultural attractions, protecting the local population and regulating traffic, all of which for the purpose of achieving sustainable development of tourism in the city.