Malaga warns shirtless tourists to cover up amid overtourism row

Your support helps us to tell the story

Support Now

Find out moreClose

As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.

Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.

Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election

Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Spanish authorities have put up new billboards asking tourists to cover up and wear more clothing while out in public spaces in Malaga.

Malaga, an Andalusian city that sits on the edge of the Meditteranean Sea, is a popular tourist destination for British travellers, from families visiting resorts to young adults seeking Spanish nightlife.

While Malaga’s tourism industry is thriving, having welcomed approximately 14 million visitors in 2023, the City and the tourism board have plastered warnings in their streets to remind visitors of appropriate etiquette when visiting.

The posters warn tourists to “dress completely” while out in the streets and public places out of respect and for hygiene reasons.

The notices, written first in English and Spanish underneath, target tourists who are walking around the city topless, asking them to always wear an upper garment in public.

This is not the first time authorities have tried to crack down on shirtless visitors to the city, having implemented a bylaw in 2023 against being seen undressed in public, with fines up to €750 (£633) if the dress code is violated.

The posters, titled “Improve your stay in Malaga”, also point out three other areas in which tourists and city visitors should refine their behaviour.

They are asking travellers to Malaga to use litter garbage cans, containers, and other services to keep the city clean, as well as to be careful around monuments, historical heritage, gardens and public furniture.

The tourist board also reminded visitors that sidewalks are for pedestrians, and if a tourist uses scooters or bikes in Malaga, they should ride in the spaces legally designated for this purpose.

Noise also appears to be a problem in the Spanish holiday hotspot, as their fourth poster asks tourists to “not be conspicuous” while out in the streets.

“Do not shout, sing, or turn up the volume of your music,” the poster reads. “Respect the resting hours of your neighbours, including the elderly, the sick, students, children and essential workers.”

The warnings from the City and the tourism board come as Malaga’s permanent residents recently took a stance against the surge of overtourism that is overwhelming their streets.

Some fed-up residents were putting up hostile messages in March calling for tourists to “go home” on the outside of buildings around the centre of Malaga.

Stickers on tourist apartments featured phrases including “stinks of tourists”, “a family used to live here”, and “before this was my house”.

Anti-tourism activists also staged a series of protests this year in Malaga and other Spanish destinations such as Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca and the Canary Islands, arguing that visitors are driving up housing costs and are making residents unable to afford to live in city centres.

For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast