UK tourists in Spain warned 'go home' as locals prepare to 'take to the streets'

UK tourists in Spain have been told to "go home" as protesters claim Malaga has become "unliveable". An expat in Spain shared the worst thing about moving to the European country amid the spring and summer getaway kicking off continent-wide.

Locals have called for an end of the “touristification” of the popular holiday hotspot. Protesters are planning to walk down the streets of Costa Del Sol on June 29 with the slogan: “For decent housing and against the processes of touristification and precariousness of life.”

Dani Drunko, a bar owner in Malaga who was kicked out of his home to make room for holidaymakers, said: “Malaga city centre has been going downhill for a long time. If something in my bar breaks, I don't have a hardware store to buy anything [because] the tourists don't need to buy screws.”

READ MORE UK braced for heatwave later this week but only 'half' of England will be hit

A local politician wrote on social media: “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].” Foreign tourists looking for a winter break significantly boosted Spain’s visitor numbers in February, with five million arrivals this year- 15.9 per cent more than in 2023.

The figures from the National Statistics Institute (INE) show the United Kingdom as the biggest foreign group with 939,712 arrivals, an impressive 20.3 per cent increase over 12 months, and accounting for nearly 20 per cent of the overseas market.

In the Canary Islands, UK tourists have faced tension recently amid protests over "overtourism". Tens of thousands have protested under the slogan "Canarias tiene un límite (The Canaries have a limit)" amid an influx of Brits from across the UK.

Fernando Clavijo, the Canary Islands president, warned: “People who come here to visit and spend their money must not be criticised or insulted. We are playing with our main source of income."