Spain is one of the UK’s leading holiday destinations and the country’s visitor numbers are expected to soar beyond pre-pandemic levels this year.
But British tourists aren’t welcomed by everyone. Furious locals in leading destinations such as Tenerife, Malaga or Majorca have put up posters telling tourists to “get out”.
A new campaign in Malaga has even seen posters telling tourists to “f*** *f” while others have complained about housing being used for holiday lets.
British tourists will also need to be aware of strict laws in some of their favourite destinations with visitors set to be slammed with hefty fines for breaking the rules.
Residents in many of Spain’s leading destinations feel that tourism has had a negative impact on their life with housing prices and costs for essential services pushed up by tourists.
Malaga
The latest campaign led by bar owner Dani Drunko has seen tourists in the Costa del Sol city told to leave in graffiti posted around Malaga.
Stickers left on buildings around the city reportedly have slogans such as “this used to be my house” and “a family used to live here”.
Dani told Sur, a local publication: “I live in a neighbourhood of Malaga called Fuente Olletas and was told a few weeks ago the owner wouldn’t be renewing my rental contract and I had to leave because the property was going to be readapted for tourist lets.
“Every day I’m receiving photos of new stickers and people that are making it go viral. There’s a lot of movement because citizens are sick of the situation.”
Tenerife
Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands’ most popular destinations, has seen graffiti daubed by the seaside urging tourists to “go home”.
The slogans were posted around the island’s seafront and were seen by many of the island’s British visitors.
Majorca
A Balearic island, Majorca, is one of Spain’s top holiday destinations. Magaluf, a notorious coastal party resort on the island, has seen new restrictions for tourists.
Island officials have expressed their desire to focus on “quality rather than quantity” tourism in a bid to attract fewer visitors who want to spend more money.
The island has been the site of several major protests against tourism with attacks on tourist buses and slashed wheels on tourist bikes.
Looking for a quieter area of Spain to explore? Find out which beautiful area has far fewer tourists.
Additional reporting by Rita Sobot
