This Spanish city doesn’t want tourists and is urging them to ‘go home’

As part of an escalating movement against tourism in Spain, residents in Malaga have started to stick stickers on buildings, urging tourists to ‘go home.’ According to reports, these stickers, prominently displayed on tourist apartments, bear messages such as ‘stinks of tourists,’ ‘a family used to live here,’ and ‘before this was my house.’

Numerous disgruntled locals in Malaga are voicing their discontent against the increasing influx of tourists and the resultant challenges they face, which they argue have significantly disrupted their lives. Additional messages have surfaced, highlighting the dearth of affordable housing attributed to mass tourism. Many have lamented the surge in rental costs driven by the scarcity of affordable accommodation, with numerous properties exclusively leased to tourists.

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With regard to this, Dani Drunko, a bar owner in Malaga, shared his recent ordeal of being instructed to vacate his ten-year residence, which was being transformed into a short-term holiday rental. He recounted, “I reside in a neighbourhood of Malaga called Fuente Olletas and was informed a few weeks ago that the owner wouldn’t be renewing my rental contract. Consequently, I was compelled to leave because the property was being repurposed for tourist lets.”

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He further revealed, “Each day, I receive photos of new stickers and individuals contributing to its virality. There’s a significant momentum as citizens are fed up with the situation. I merely proposed the concept of the phrases; I ignited the spark.” Nonetheless, he clarified that he harbours no animosity towards tourists and stressed the community’s desire for housing regulation.

“We wish to emphasise that we harbour no ill will towards tourists or tourism, but we oppose being evicted from our homes to accommodate tourist apartments. Additionally, we are dismayed by the lack of action from the town hall, which is accountable to all of Malaga’s residents,” he added.

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Local politician Dani Perez also took to social media to shed light on the situation. ”You walk the streets of Málaga and it is practically impossible to find a residential building that does not have a lockbox [for tourist rentals]. Malaga’s mayor is not lifting a finger for the people who live here, expelling them from the city where they were born,” he lamented.

However, local lawyer Juan Luis Gomez criticised the campaign, arguing, “The very same individuals opposed to tourism then refuse to work, as if our livelihoods here depended solely on the aerospace industry. It’s one thing to regulate tourism and another to outright reject it.”

Significantly, Costa del Sol remains a preferred destination for British holidaymakers in Spain. Reports added that in 2023, a record 14 million holidaymakers from Spain and abroad visited the region, with a substantial number opting to settle in the city. Data from Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE) indicated that eight out of 10 new residents relocating to Malaga are presently foreigners.

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