The Spanish city loved by British tourists that locals fear is 'on brink of collapse'

An urban planner and tenant’s union activist is calling for a change in how the Spanish city of Malaga manages tourism.

Kike España campaigns for an organisation which led a protest in June where thousands of people took to the streets to draw attention to the negative impact of tourism on the city.

Mr España told the BBC: “The situation is so saturated that Málaga has really reached a turning point at which people feel that the city is collapsing.

“It’s the same feeling you have when you enter a theme park, there is a stream of people that are consuming the city and not really inhabiting it.”

Malaga, like several Spanish cities, has seen locals rise up to draw attention to the impact tourism is having on things such as house prices, anti-social behaviour and gentrification of traditional areas.

Majorca, Tenerife and Barcelona are just some of the popular holiday destinations to protest against the impacts of an industry that local economies have become heavily reliant on.

Tourism represents 13 percent of Spanish GDP but this figure is much higher in common tourist destinations.

In areas such as the Balearic islands, around 80 percent of people are employed in roles related to tourism.

Whilst other countries have struggled to bounce back following the Covid-19 pandemic, Spain is breaking previous tourism records and could see inbound visitor figures surpass 90 million, having welcomed nearly 75 million people in the first nine months of 2024.

But for all its benefits, mass tourism is having a significant impact on local people and has seen protests break out in many popular destinations.

In April, a group of activists staged a three week hunger strike to protest against the building of new tourism projects whilst in Barcelona, restaurant goers were squirted with water pistols whilst being told to “go home”.

Malaga was once a starting point for tourists looking to explore other areas such as the Costa del Sol but has become a popular tourist destination in its own right in recent years.

The city of Picasso’s birth ensures a treat for those wanting to experience the city’s art heritage and culture whilst burgeoning businesses such as the Argentinian BBQ experience allow visitors to experience Malaga in a unique way.

The city’s popularity has led to a surge in Airbnb rentals, which are blamed by tourism protesters for contributing to a rise in house and rent prices.

A recent study by El País newspaper found that several areas of the city had the highest proportion of Airbnb rentals in the whole of Spain.

As the owners of such properties are able to charge more for short-term rentals than they could for longer term ones, the price is driven up across the board and impacts local renters severely.

Average rent in the city is around €1,200-1,300 (£1,010-1,094) whilst average salaries are approximately €1,600 (£1346) net.

Isabel Rodríguez, housing minister for Spain's governing Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) said: “If the people of Málaga don’t have somewhere to live, who will provide services for the tourists?

“Where will the waiters who serve us a glass of wine and a plate of sardines live?”

Some areas of Spain, along with other European countries have attempted to address the issue by introducing tourist taxes to reduce visitor numbers and generate revenue that can be reinvested into local services.

Many cities are also targeting the surge of Airbnbs, with Florence attempting to ban new listings on the site and Barcelona planning on revoking around 10,000 tourist accommodation licenses in 2028.