British tourists flock to Spain despite summer of overtourism protests

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Overtourism protests across Spain this summer did not deter millions of British travellers from visiting holiday hotspots, including Barcelona and Mallorca.

Spain welcomed a record 10.9 million tourists, mainly Brits and Germans, in July despite demonstrations by locals against international visitors causing congestion and house price hikes.

Between January and July, spending by foreign visitors in Spain rose 18.6 per cent to €71 billion (£60 billion), according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

On average, Brits spent €1,389 (£1,170) and Germans €1,340 (£1,128) per visit to Spain in July, and the cash splashing on Spanish holidays is expected to boot the country’s economic growth by 2.4 per cent this year.

The latest action against overtourism follows a chain of protests across Spain this summer.

Thousands of Barcelona residents squirted diners in tourist areas with water during a widely reported protest against mass tourism in July.

The Spanish locals chanted “tourists go home” with placards that read “Enough! Let’s put limits on tourism” in the demonstration against overtourism.

In Barcelona this weekend, protestors plan to demonstrate along Somorrostro Beach, a viewpoint for the America’s Cup sailing race.

The group ‘No to the America’s Cup’ are protesting against the “occupation of the beaches” and “privatisation of spaces”, report The Telegraph.

However, the Spanish Tourist Office told The Independent in August that tourism arrivals to Spain this summer “have not been impacted” and called for the British media to have a “sense of perspective” when reporting on the anti-foreign action.

Pedro Fiol, the president of Aviba, the Association of Balearic Travel Agents, told the Majorca Daily Bulletin that the slogans for the protests should be “anti-government policy, not anti-tourism”.

Mr Fiol said: “The United Kingdom and Germany are the foundations, the pillars of our tourist industry, and we have got to make sure they remain strong because we can’t afford to see the tourist industry falter. So we need an honest debate and, where possible, quick and simple solutions.”

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