'We'll spend elsewhere!' Britons ditch Spain as anti-tourist protests show no signs of stopping

Britons have said they will boycott Spain

GETTY
Sarra Gray

By Sarra Gray


Published: 12/07/2024

- 12:00

Many Britons jet off to Spain in the summer months, but some have vowed to avoid the holiday hotspot this year

June, July and August are the most popular times for Britons to visit Spain but parts of the country have gained attention as locals have protested overtourism.

Holidaymakers have said they will go elsewhere to holiday and spend their money if this continues.


Locals in islands such as Majorca and Ibiza have marched against overtourism in recent months. Many have blamed tourists for rising house prices, as foreigners buying property and renting holiday homes has driven prices up.

This week, around 2,800 protesters gathered in Barcelona and sprayed tourists with water pistols, telling them to "go home".

Tourist strip Magaluf

Parts of Spain have cracked down on tourists

PA

New laws have also been put in place in parts of Spain that restrict when Britons can purchase alcohol and that could lead to fines for wearing inappropriate outfits. In response, angry tourists have said they will not go to the Mediterranean destination from now on.

A GB News reader said: "Well, if they don't want our money, so be it. We can spend it elsewhere." Another agreed, warning: "As they say, be careful what you wish for."

A third chimed in: "This is easy - don’t go to Spain on holiday, go somewhere else in the world. They will soon suffer."

A social media user added: "There’s a lot of other places on the Mediterranean Sea that would welcome tourists with open arms. Spain is not the be-all and end-all. There are some lovely places in the south of France and Portugal."

One more Briton was happy with the prospect of a boycott, saying it could make Spain better for those who do go. They said: "A tourist boycott will probably end up being win-win.

"There's not much fun or sense in going on holiday to a place where you'll be crammed together densely in an overcrowded beehive, like the traffic jams back home.

"In any case, not everyone is going to boycott so the end result will be less crowding. If tourists did some homework and preferred less crowded places, the current problem wouldn't be as bad."

Beach in Spain

Spain is a popular tourist destination

PA

They commented: "I lived in Majorca for the best part of 13 years mostly in Palma. Some of the locals protest every summer.

"Their grievance is that Brits, Germans, Swedes and Norwegians with deeper pockets than them are buying up the island, which is in part true (me being one of them in 2003)."

One more GB News reader defended Spain and asked, "why all the hate for the Spaniards?".

Another drew parallels to other countries claiming Malta was "the place for the British to have holidays" but tourism dropped "virtually overnight" amid bad press. "Spain should be careful as the same could happen to them," they warned.

You may like