Spain tourists being identified by 'stickers' on properties and 'spat at'

James Rodger

18 May 2024 at 3:51 am·2-min read

Valencia tourists have been warned by the Spanish city that the city is "not for sale". Angry locals have launched a vandalism spree as tensions over "overtourism" in Spain spread across the mainland, following demonstrations and tensions in the Canary Islands and the Balearics.

Stickers have been placed on properties and tourists harassed, according to Silvia Blasco, president of the Association of Tourist Apartment Companies of the Valencian Community. Some owners of ground floor tourist accommodations recently reported a dozen cases of stickers identifying properties as tourist accommodations.

The incidents saw graffiti scrawled on sites and "urine at the door" as well as "glued locks". Tourists have also been spat at, according to the account given to EFE by Senor Blasco. Aptur CV warned it was “harassment towards the visitors who choose to stay in this type of accommodation."

“We do not support this discrediting of tourism and its visitors, as it damages the image of Valencia and its local businesses, in addition to restricting people's right to choose where to stay. And when this happens and the public administration allows it, it becomes everyone's problem,” the association stated.

It comes after the president of the hotel association Hosbec slammed the lack of inspection and control of tourist accommodation. Fede Fuster stated that this neglect has led to an increase from 4,000 to 400,000 “without even being able to verify if they are regulated.”

The employers' association also assumed that it is generating a “real problem” of access to housing and coexistence in cities and tourist destinations. It comes as some locals across Spain feel that their towns and cities are becoming invaded by tourists who do not respect their customs and lives.

Experts from Spain’s tourist industry have predicted that 2024 will be a record year for visitors to the to the UK’s favourite holiday destination.

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