MADRID – British tourists holidaying in Spain this year may face escalating “tourism phobia” among locals as pressure on services increases, while foreign visitor numbers are set to rise further.
Spanish tourism experts have predicted record numbers of visitors to Britain’s most popular holiday destination in 2024.
However, residents, aware that their town is being invaded by tourists who do not respect their customs and life, are increasingly voicing their opposition.
The holidays haven’t even started yet and graffiti has appeared in resorts across Spain reading: “Tourists are going home.”
On walls and benches in the town of Palma, south of Tenerife, are the words “My pain, your paradise” and “The average salary in the Canary Islands is 1,200 euros.”
References to monthly salaries on the island highlight the disparity between the incomes of wealthy British and other Northern European tourists and locals.
Last May, @CanarioToday posted news from the Canary Islands on X, Posted a video Photos showed protesters shouting “go home” to tourists at Playa de Americas, a popular resort in southwest Tenerife.
In Barcelona, ”Tourists Go Home” slogans were daubed on walls in popular tourist areas such as Gràcia and Barrio Gòtico, and activists have attacked tour buses in the past.
Last year, in Arona, Gran Canaria, demonstrators began attacking tourists, saying: “We want ecological balance, go home!” They called some tourists “monkeys.”
In 2023, Spain received a record 85.1 million foreign tourists, an increase of 17% over the previous year, of which 17.3 million were from the United Kingdom.
Spanish tourism agency Exceltur estimates that more tourists will arrive this year, bringing in revenue in excess of €200bn (£170m) and increasing its contribution to GDP from 12.8% to 13.4%.
Marcia Brazquez Salom, a professor of geography at the University of the Balearic Islands, said that as the number of tourists increases, there will be more resistance from locals because they see their towns being invaded by foreigners.
“Tourism puts greater pressure on housing, public space and inflation. These aspects make people living in tourist areas clamor for their right to live there peacefully.” I.
“People are dissatisfied with the decline in quality of life caused by the expansion of tourism. Apparently there are record numbers of tourists [this year] This will bring more complaints. ”
Professor Blazquez-Salome said many cities in Spain, including Barcelona, Madrid, the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, have introduced policies to limit the expansion of tourists.
He accused the tourism industry of using “extortion” tactics and said if politicians restricted the number of visitors to resorts, jobs would be lost.
The Canary Islands Tourist Board said the graffiti incident in Tenerife occurred two months ago.
At the time, Canary Islands Tourism Minister Jessica de Leon said it was “regrettable”.
In Gran Canaria, a tourism board spokesman said anti-tourist protests were “isolated”.
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