if the Spanish don't want us,don't go there

Who are "The Spanish" though?

I assume that the OP is referring to the incidents in Barcelona over the weekend when tourists in bars and cafes were squirted with water pistol’s by unhappy locals.

I don't think it's just the incidents in Barcelona though - there have been protests in various areas, including the Balearic and Canary Islands.

OK. I thought this might be about the shocking Islamophobia incident.

I had totally missed the water pistols.

Infoman?*

The problem is some of the British have behaved so badly that we are not welcome in many parts of the world.

We are being judged by the actions of a small number which is wrong and we should not do it either.

Like so many things, what starts as being a movement that brings economic growth and prosperity to a resort/area/country, over the years grows so large that the conomic advantages begin to fail as the very things that made somewhere popular begin to degrade it.

So many areas that drew tourists in because of the beautiful beaches/ wonderful architecture, peace and quiet now have so many tourists that the beaches are full, so much housing has become holiday accommodation that the locals cannot find homes, streets are heaving masses of people. I am not surprised that the people in many tourist areas of Spain are fed up.

50 years ago I fell in love with Oxford, I wanted to live there, couldn't afford it, but for the last 30 years have lived 10 miles away. I used to go there a lot, parking was easy, if expensive, you could walk round the colleges and their quads, and no one would stop you. In the vacations they were quiet and peaceful. The town was full of indpendent shops.

Now, you cannot move in the city because the pavements are blocked by tourist parties, the shops have all closed to be replced by chain restaurants. The colleges only let people in to visit at certain times and charge a fee, I do not blame them. I now rarely go to Oxford, all I loved has gone, it is just a tourist destination full of eateries and booths selling tawdry souvenirs.

My sympathies are all with the protesters of Barcelona.

The Spanish will dislike the French the most if they beat them at football this week. So the English will be let off, unless we both meet in the final.

Well said Monica. I can't imagine Portugal would be too happy if their country was overrun either.

We're in Playa Blanca in Lanzarote at the moment, a place we've been to many times.
We've been made welcome everywhere, the restaurants are busy and there's a really friendly atmosphere 😎

I totally agree monica I can well understand the locals in Barcelona when I was there last year there were lots of graffiti not about brits but about tourists in general
The locals cannot get any affordable housing because every spare house is now an Airb&B (yes we stayed in one and lovely it was) but I totally understand them it’s being spoilt totally by tourists of every shade and culture

I would be inclined not to go, we went to Spain three years ago to Seville and Cordoba, both fabulous and of course tourist destinations and went back to Seville the following year to meet up with friends from abroad who were having a month long stay there. Having been to both Spain and Portugal, I prefer Spain, once you get away from the Costas, but that's a personal preference, who's to say that the Portuguese might not also take a leaf out of Spain's book anyway, this dissatisfaction with mass tourism is not confined to one country. I understand the Spanish people's point of view, it's the same in many tourist destinations, here too, where locals are being priced out of available accommodation due to AirB&B. I also sympathise with them too over rowdy drunken, rowdy and generally behaviour, but they allowed the proliferation of the sort of places that attract those who go abroad for that reason only and not to embrace the culture of the country. . I don't remember seeing that demographic in France for example when I used to go there regularly which is a while ago now.

I've been several times to a couple of the islands in The Canaries in December, a good place for a winter getaway. Again, I'm not sure I'd go again now the locals have made it clear they're fed up with mass tourism. I think we have to respect their wishes, although of course it's a double edged sword I imagine, tourism = revenue, but equally it brings a multitude of problems.

Barcelona authorities are cracking down on Air B & B lets, I think they intend to ban them eventually.

(We have never stayed in one)

I can’t help thinking airb&b has exacerbated the problem ten-fold. They were originally supposed to be in peoples homes weren’t they so that you could also experience local life meet local people on a short stay. Then people saw a way of making lots of money. The water situation and housing has made me want to stay at home and I don’t mean a staycation. I’m fortunate enough to live within reach of lovely small museums by train when they run, but do fear getting stranded on return journeys. I always go to out of reach places for holidays as I’ve preferred to get away from technology but now even those places have Wi-Fi etc. it’s a shame for every area promoting tourism that now are over-run and like shopping centres no where else is promoted until they are bursting at the seams.

There are places round here that we avoid on weekends because of tourists. Not bad behaviour, just crowding so if we feel like this in an underpopulated country I can imagine how people living in busy international cities must feel.

I totally agree, if a country objects to visitors from other countries then we should all stop going. When the hotels and stores start closing down due to lack of tourists they will know who they have to blame.

Monica, ditto re Oxford. A dd lives in a suburb, and I’ve found e.g. pavements totally blocked with groups of what are evidently foreign schoolchildren who wouldn’t move to let me plus two small grandchildren and buggy pass - we had to walk in the road.

Not long ago Gdd1’s primary school choir was singing in Christchurch Cathedral, so we were allowed in for free to the college area, where there were masses of Chinese tourists, who’d evidently largely come to see the splendid dining hall, which was featured in one (or more) of the Harry Potter films.

However one of the college staff told us that they pay £20 each for entry, and the college needs the money for the upkeep of
its stunningly beautiful buildings and grounds. Swings and roundabouts I suppose….

We have spent a lot of time in Spain over the years, before Brexit often for6 months at a time. If you avoid the tourist areas such as Barcelona, Benidorm etc it is fine. Unfortunately the Brits behave so badly it has given us all a bad name. Inland Spain is lovely as is Northern Spain albeit the weather is not so hot as the Costas. Try to integrate and learn some Spanish and they will greet you with open arms.

We recently stayed on Ibiza and not a hint of the Spanish not liking or wanting us. From the minute our plane landed we were treated politely and helpfully by staff and also at the hotel, on buses, taxis, in shops etc. Hope to visit one of the Spanish islands again in Sept.

nanna8

There are places round here that we avoid on weekends because of tourists. Not bad behaviour, just crowding so if we feel like this in an underpopulated country I can imagine how people living in busy international cities must feel.

My daughter tells me that a large percentage of the Australian population is in Bali this week. 😂

The northern coastal areas such as San Sebastian have not been tainted in the way that the Costas have been, somewhat cooler but un-spoilt, or was when I went there, a while back now.. I do love the Moorish part of Spain though which is predominantly in the south.

Jackiest

The problem is some of the British have behaved so badly that we are not welcome in many parts of the world.

We are being judged by the actions of a small number which is wrong and we should not do it either.

No, it isn’t about that, the locals feel in many places in Spain that they’re sinking under the weight of tourists and want far less to be admitted.That’s tourists from any country, not just British ones.
In Barcelona they’re using water pistols at what they think are tourists sitting in cafes and restaurants.It’s fairly light hearted so far tho nobody likes getting wet, others are holding signs saying No Tourists or Tourists Go Home.
I agree with infoman there are plenty of other countries to visit until this blows over.

As has already been said, the protests are against all tourists, not just the British ones, the vast majority of whom behave just fine. We’ve never felt unwelcome wherever we’ve travelled, and have been told more than once how polite “the English” are compared to other tourists.

However, certain areas in Spain and in other parts of the world have actively encouraged stag and hen parties and groups of youngsters looking for a good time, and once that culture is firmly established, it’s going to be very difficult to get the genie back in the bottle.

These protests, as others have said, are about much more than the behaviour of a minority. People need to be able to live and function comfortably in their own home towns, without being swamped by visitors. But to be fair to the tourists, surely it’s locals who are profiting from the air bnbs? We choose never to use them anyway and I can’t say I’d be delighted to be drenched and heckled on my holiday.

Yes - schoolies week is one to avoid. Only one week a year though.

Maybe the Spanish should do the same as New York City ....they have banned all short term rentals of less than 30 days ( which includes airbnb) .....obviously hotel prices then massively jumped up ..... people who really wanted to go there still went.....those who were ambivalent or on a tight budget went elsewhere..... so winners and losers I guess