Laurence Dollimore
THE ‘anti-tourism’ movement in Spain appears to be growing by the day following the historic demonstrations in the Canary Islands last month.
Granada is the latest city to join the fray, with locals on social media complaining their streets are inundated with tourists ‘day and night’.
The city is nestled in the heart of Andalucia, the southernmost region, and is home to the Alhambra Palace, the most visited site in the country.
However locals from the historic neighbourhood below the palace have now set up a social media page to blast the ‘tourist invasion’, which they claim has made the area ‘unliveable’.
The newly-created Albayzin Habitable page reads: “Join us… we are protesting against the limitless tourist invasion… for a liveable neighbourhood and city.”
The first video on the page shows groups of unsuspecting tourists being filmed as they take in the city’s sights.
One local commented: “From dawn until dask.”
Another added: “The goose with the golden eggs… they thought we were sleeping.
“The abuse and crossing of limits is bringing a revolution. This neighbourhood is ours, it always has been and we have always had visitors.
“But when the balance is unequal, watch out!”
Meanwhile, graffiti in the city can be seen reading: “@tourist: don’t buy culture,” with the words “f**k Airbnb” scrawled below.
It comes as a huge protest is being planned by ‘fed-up’ locals in Malaga who say they are tired of ‘over tourism, s**t salaries and property exploitation.’
In a post on Instagram, a tenant support organisation in the city set the date for the ‘big demonstration’ as June 29.
It follows an enormous similar protest in the Canary Islands last month, which saw more than 60,000 take to the streets.
The organisation, Sindicato de Inquilinas de Malaga, wrote on Instagram: “Malaga has become an unliveable city for those of us who live in it. IT’S OVER! WE WANT A MALAGA TO LIVE AND NOT TO SURVIVE.”
It added: “The problem is well known: touristification and plundering of the territory, exploitation of housing, work and life. S**t salaries, s**t cohabitation and s**t rents. We are clear: IF I CAN’T PAY I WILL NOT PAY!
“We know that there are many of us who are fed up and determined to defend a friendly, livable city, THE CITY OF THE LOCALS!”
“On JUNE 29, the Malaga Tenants Union calls for a GREAT PROTEST for decent housing and against the processes of touristification and impoverishment of life. On JUNE 29, it all begins.”
