Economic fallout: Spain?

No.

No. When I was there in May, it was actually great for tourists because things were on sale all over.

Some people claim there's an uptick in pickpocketing in Barcelona specifically, but Barcelona has always had that reputation and people may just be noticing it more. I certainly didn't get the sketchy, seedy vibe that people had insisted that Barcelona has when I visited last year. Has 4 years of the worst economic downturn since the great depression made the U.S. any more dangerous for international tourists? I'm not certain but I doubt it's had a significant effect.

I was in Spain just a month ago,, and I did not notice anything negative in the small town we stayed in, but in Barcelona I did notice more then I expected of closed up shops,, not just closed but totally covered with graffiti,, rather seedy looking to me.
I personally loved Spain, but Barcelona did give me that seedy sketchy feel, but to be fair we only spent two days there so I am no expert there for sure! We stayed in a nice area, and had a nice hotel. I would go back to Spain tomorrow, but perhaps only give Barcelona a few days,, but the small town we went to seemed wonderfully clean, cheap and cheerful, of course as a tourist we were treated like gold ,, miss it already!!

Some areas of Barcelona are going through normal cycles of big cities in which certain neighborhoods that are hyped become common then fell into decay. Such is the case of the depressing Las Ramblas and part of the "Gaudi quartier". Fortunately, a new police strategy is in place to crack down on anti-social behavior in Barcelona, they called some consultants from US with NYC-cleanup experience in the 1990s. I recently read an article in which the police chief vowed to increase policing, prosecute illegal vendors on streets, ban skating in public streets outside skate parts and even pass some ordinances to prevent people on bath suits using the subway. The problem is that Barcelona is graffiti-infested and the situation is still not bad to the point people would accept as normal 1-year imprisonment as a standard sentence for those vandals that tag walls, subways etc. But I can't wait for a more American-style policing take over the mentality of many police chiefs here in Europe. Roma, Berlin and Bruxelles are other cities that could well do with a zero-tolerance police strategy.

"Has 4 years of the worst economic downturn since the great depression made the U.S. any more dangerous for international tourists? I'm not certain but I doubt it's had a significant effect." Just to specifically answer that question from what I read in The Economist... the overall violent crime and felony theft rate in the US hit a 30 year low in 2011, and is expected to continue the longterm downward trend this year as well.

It may be sad, but tourists are probably better off because of the economic downturn. Hotels are struggling to fill rooms, so tourists benefit from better prices. Restaurants are also suffering, so you probably won't have to look hard to find a table without a reservation. Car rentals are likely a little cheaper than they would be if demand was higher. I've been organizing my digital photos from our trip in April. Most of our lodging was cheap - lower, on average, than I've paid on any previous trip to Europe. Looking at the photos reminds me how nice most of our places were - especially for the price.