'Go Home!’ - The growing pushback against tourists in Spain
Benidorm, a sun-soaked haven for partygoers, faces an identity crisis as locals voice their frustrations against over-tourism.
Image: Wikipedia
Benidorm, long famed as a sun-drenched playground for partygoers, is now grappling with a growing identity crisis.
The bustling resort town on Spain’s Costa Blanca is sharply divided, with the old and new sides of the town pulling in opposite directions. In the quaint, cobbled streets of the Old Town, Spanish visitors and locals seek peace, charm and a slower pace of life.
Meanwhile, across the bustling strips of the New Town, holidaymakers flood neon-lit bars, chasing cheap pints, all-night parties and raucous stag nights. Today, many locals have had enough.
In recent interviews, Spanish residents revealed how sharply the town’s tourist map is divided. “I want the tourists to stay away from this area,” said one ice-cream shop staff member in the Old Town. “Not many people like the British tourists. Some are rude, drunk and very disrespectful.”
This sentiment captures the growing tensions between locals and tourists from the UK, with many Spaniards seeing British partygoers as the very symbol of over‑tourism.
The frustration has bubbled into protest across Spain
In June, thousands took to the streets in popular tourist hotspots like Barcelona, the Canary Islands and the Costa del Sol, carrying placards telling visitors to “go home” and spraying unsuspecting British revellers with water guns.
Locals argue that rising tourist numbers have brought a housing crisis, with long‑term residents being priced out as landlords favour lucrative short‑term holiday lets.
A hotel receptionist in the area spoke openly about the crisis, saying, “I think tourists now are not the right tourists. It has to change. The flats are mostly for tourists, and the people that work here have no flats.”
Similar stories have emerged across Europe, from Venice to Lisbon, as communities struggle to maintain a balance between welcoming visitors and preserving their quality of life.
As the summer season intensifies, it’s clear that the lines drawn between Old and New Benidorm symbolise a wider shift across the Mediterranean: a growing resistance to over‑tourism and a call for more respectful and sustainable travel.
IOL Travel