Picasso's home town is thriving
O weekday in early spring Málaga is thronged with tourists, clambering over the Moorish castle that overlooks the port, carousing at the pavement bars or queuing for one of half-a-dozen art museums. It wasn't always thus. Until the turn of the century tourists heading for the resorts of the Costa del Sol shunned what was then a drab former industrial town. Today Málaga, Spain's sixth city, is booming, powered not just by tourism but also by a burgeoning tech industry. Its economy has outpaced the rest of the Andalucía region for most of the past decade. It is held up by some as a model for other Spanish cities, but some locals fear it may fall victim to its own success.
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Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Mastermind of furious anti-tourist protests in Majorca targeting Brits unmasked as boy, 16, inspired by Greta Thunberg
THE mastermind behind anti-tourist protests in Majorca targeting Brits has been unmasked as a 16-year-old boy inspired by Greta Thunberg. Mass anti-tourism demonstrators began to erupt across Spain last year, amid concerns holidaymakers were driving rising costs and job insecurity. 7 Jaume Pujol is slowly becoming the fresh face of the anti-tourist movement Credit: Twitter 7 Jaume staged a protest impacting tourists on a bus last week 7 He said he is inspired by Greta Thunberg Credit: EPA 7 One protester seen wielding an axe in Palma last weekend Credit: Solarpix Using Greta Thungburg as his inspiration, he confessed, Jaume Pujol is slowly becoming the fresh face of the movement - despite only just finishing the Spanish equivalent of GCSEs. Last weekend, anti-tourist protests swept across holiday hotspot towns and cities from the Balearic and Canary Islands to northern Spain, Portugal and Italy. They were organised and executed by the Southern European Network Against Tourism. In Palma on Sunday afternoon, anti-tourist demonstrators swarmed a table of dining Brits and chanted "go home" and "go to hell". One protester was even caught wielding an axe amid the deafening jeers. Jaume was in Palma on this day, being an organiser of the Majorcan group Menys Turisme, Mes Vida. Last Saturday he gave a live YouTube commentary as he and his fellow protesters stopped a sightseeing bus, hung banners over it and set off yellow smoke-bombs as terrified passengers watched on in horror. And on Sunday, Jaume stood on a platform to read out the group's three-page "manifesto". He said as thousands of supporters cheered: "The tourism model, whether luxury or mass, chokes us year after year, grabs economic and residential resources, destroys the territory, exploits the working class, contributes to climate crisis, and shatters our communities." He added how young people couldn't afford to live on their own island anymore due to foreigners buying properties. Anti-tourist protesters blast holidaymakers with water guns & block hotels Jaume's interest in protesting began at a young age when his trade unionist granddad took him on marches. And while his parents are "proud," Jaume revealed to Diario de Mallorca how they're also scared for him. He said: "I've received death threats, and they painted 'We're going to kill you' on the door of my school." As tourists continue to fear of chaos unravelling on their holidays with protests, Jaume told the Daily Mail that they have nothing to fear as he and his comrades' actions are directed towards the Balearic Islands' government. The march in Palma followed a similar string of incidents in Barcelona, where an anti-tourist mob surrounded a hotel and shot at holidaymakers with water pistols. Congregating outside the hotel, the group launched flares and held placards claiming tourism was robbing them of their futures. Staff at a nearby hotel were seen trying to break up the crowds and shouting at protesters to move away. Police stepped in before protesters could reach the famous tourist hot-spot la Sagrada Familia, avoiding potential clashes between holidaymakers and locals. Shouts of 'Tourists Go Home' and 'One More Tourist, One Less Local' could be heard as activists marched through the streets. They were also heard shouting: 'This tourism is terrorism.' City police said only 600 people had taken part, far less than the 8,000 who took part in the protest in Palma. Other marches took place in the Basque city of San Sebastian, several cities in Italy and in Lisbon as part of a co-ordinated series of street protests in southern Europe. What is overtourism? Overtourism refers to the phenomenon where a destination experiences a volume of tourists that exceeds its manageable capacity The term is often used to describe the negative consequences of mass tourism, which includes overcrowding and environmental issues As a result, popular destinations have become less enjoyable for both visitors and locals Local communities, in particular, bear the brunt, facing rising costs and a depletion of resources In response, national and local governments have started to implement measures to reduce overtourism Some solutions include: Safeguarding historical and heritage sites Promoting off-peak travel Tourism caps and regulations Promoting lesser-known destinations 7 Tourists enjoying a meal in the town centre were struck with loud chants Credit: Reuters 7 Demonstrators used water pistols during a protest against mass tourism in Barcelona Credit: Reuters
Evening Standard
an hour ago
- Evening Standard
Spain handed new visa powers over Gibraltar in secret UK-EU talks
Crucially, the agreement ensures the border between Gibraltar and Spain remains open, avoiding chaos for the 15,000 Spanish workers who cross into the Rock each day. Without the deal, those workers would have been forced to get their passports stamped on entry and exit, using up their allowance of visa-free days and risking major disruption at the frontier.
Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'I went on holiday to Spanish island and couldn't wait to get home'
One holidaymaker visiting a Spanish island admitted she 'couldn't wait to get home' after heading there, as she shared a warning to other travellers in a video that's gone viral Most people look forward to their summer holiday all year after booking it. However, one holidaymaker visiting a Spanish island admitted she 'couldn't wait to get home' after heading there, as she shared a warning to other travel fans. Dannii, who is known on TikTok as @dannii_xo, took to her account to share her experience of visiting Playa Del Inglés in Gran Canaria with her 3,747 followers – and it wasn't a very glowing review. In her clip, Dannii can be seen filming herself while laying down as she looked glum. Overlay text read: "This is your sign to do your research before booking a holiday, we can't wait to get home." The video clearly resonated with people as it went viral – racking up 29,000 likes and hundreds of comments. Many people admitted they'd had a similar experience in the area, as one person said: "We were there last week. First day was pure panic because we were in Playa Sel Inglés and went down to the beach and were like [crying emoji]. They added: "Catch a busy to Maspalomas, there's lots of nice eating places. Bus to Puerto Rico and go to Amadores, the beach is so much nicer! And from Puerto Rico get the ferry to Mogán. It was honestly BEAUTIFUL!" Another person added: "We had the same feeling," while a third chimed in: "Yeah Playa is not the best at all, nothing there. Went down the Yumbo centre for a night out that was ok. Tenerife is my new go to!" Someone else also claimed there was "nothing there", but told Dannii to get the bus either way and "she'd be ok". Meanwhile, other people recommended she go to Puerto Rico or Meloneras and Maspalomas instead, however Dannii replied: "I don't think I'll be coming back because it's really put me off, I love main Spain but this experience has been awful!" Someone else reflected on how things had changed on the island, as they wrote: "That's a shame because Gran Canaria used to be the place to be. Particularly Yumbo but we haven't been in 4/5 years as people have been saying it's getting worse." Despite a lot of people agreeing with Dannii, one person defended the area, writing: "Playa Del Ingles was literally one of my favourite vacations. So pretty. Some days just chilling at the pool or beach and other days going to see the nature. The dunes, the mountains." While another simply said: "I love Gran Canaria." A third chimed in: "Playa Del Ingles? Mate. Get yourself to Sakura or Cafe Deutsche... El Chacho in Yumbo do amazing Mexican food. It isn't as boring or bland as you think." Dannii later gave an update as she shared more insight to her holiday experience, writing: "FYI: I wasn't talking about the whole island, just the town we're staying in. The hotel's awful, the locals have been incredibly rude for absolutely no reason, I can't travel too far out as I'm with family members that are elderly and it's too much for them. "I did catch a bus to Puerto Rico which was beautiful and I've only booked one trip because everything is so pricey, I feel like I'm being scammed, inflation has increased massively which I get but my family came two years ago and the prices have doubled." Dannii's post comes amid protests and demonstrations over mass tourism in the Canary Islands have taken place over the last year. Protestors took to the streets to demand limits on the impact of holidaymakers, claiming 'tourism is killing the Canary Islands'. Despite this, National Statistics Institute (NSI) figures showed the number of tourists visiting the Canary Islands has continued to grow, even with price hikes.
