
Spain holiday latest as locals blast ‘outrageous' prices and cancel trips amid chilling ‘tourist go home' protest fury
Furious locals have been forced to cancel their own staycations as an unprecedented tourist boom sees millions flock to
4
Members of the Mallorca Platja Tour association demonstrate against overtourism in Palma
Credit:4
Spaniards blame tourists for the spiralling cost of living crisis
Credit: REUTERS/Francisco Ubilla
And anti-tourism
exacerbated
by mass tourism.
Thousands have
Visitors were blocked from popular beaches and tourist attractions,
Chilling
READ MORE IN TRAVEL
Tourists were even
Jet2 chief Steve Heapy said: "Protesters are becoming increasingly vocal, and that's making some people question whether now is the right time to go."
And tourists have taken to
One person said: "A holiday is a time of relaxation, time with the family, having to worry about the locals reaction and protest would spoil your enjoyment."
MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN
Another added: "We had a holiday booked to
Spain storm and hail warning as 100mm of rain falls in an hour at tourist hotspot
But Spain still remains the most popular holiday destination for Irish people with over 2.5 million visits made each year.
And Spain's top 25 Mediterranean and Atlantic coast destinations saw local tourism drop by 800,000 last year whilst foreign visitors rose by a whopping 1.94 million.
Speaking to Reuters, 26-year-old Spaniard Wendy Davis blasted the "outrageous" prices of holidaying in her own country.
Hotel prices have rises 23 per cent in the past years to an average of €136 a night whilst beachfront rentals have climbed 20.3 per cent in two years.
Wendy cancelled a trip to the south coast for a cheaper visit to inland Spain this summer.
Wendy said: "The whole Spanish coast is very expensive. Now you don't go on holiday wherever you want, but wherever you can."
LESSER-KNOWN SPOTS
Many Spanish locals are now flocking to lesser-known destinations inland.
Tecnitasa Group President Jose Maria Basanez said: "It is becoming increasingly difficult for Spanish holidaymakers to afford beachfront tourism rentals."
Last month, anti-tourism campaigners were heard yelling out "tourism is terrorism" and "tourists go home" as
Balearic Islands Government vice-president Antoni Costa said their behaviour had been 'unacceptable.'
Claiming hundreds of thousands of local jobs would be lost if politicians pandered to the wishes of activists calling for 'tourist degrowth,' he added: 'Abandoning tourism would be madness.
"We're a tourist economy and we're proud to be so.
'I think people are deluding themselves if they think that in the Balearic Islands it's possible to do mostly other things than tourism.
'What guarantees the future of tourism is to taking into account the social and environmental sustainability factor. Looking the other way is not the right way to go.
'We must implement policies that allow us to move from an economy that basically grows in volume to an economy that grows in value.'
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Acitivists stopped a tourist bus with water pistols in Barcelona earlier this year
Credit: REUTERS/Bruna Casas
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Spain locals can no longer afford coastal holidays in their own country
Credit: Alamy Stock Photo
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