The popular tourist resort of Benidorm in southern Spain has been split in two as Spanish tourists have revealed they try to avoid Brits at all costs, branding them as “rude and disrespectful”. Benidorm has become a popular destination for Brits due to its Mediterranean climate with long, hot summers, lively nightlife and a strong British presence with many hotels, restaurants and shops employing English-speaking staff.
However, Spanish holidaymakers head to the Costa Blanca for a relaxing staycation and view those from the UK as the symbol of overtourism in the region. As a result, the seaside town has been divided into two, with Spaniards sticking to the traditional streets of the “Old Town”, while Brits flock to the pub-packed “New Town”. Stephen Critzov, who has lived and worked in Benidorm for three years, said: “The British stay in one area and the Spanish stay in one area”.
Not all locals, however, are against the divide, because it keeps Benidorm peaceful. “I want then [the Brits] to stay away from this area,” Ariadna Perez, 22, who works at an ice cream shop in the Old Town, told MailOnline. “Not many people like the British tourists,” they added. “Some British tourists are rude they’re drunk and sometimes they’re very rude and disrespectful.”
Meanwhile, hotel receptionist Gosec Torres, echoed sentiments and protests that are spreading across Spain – that the growth of the tourism industry and demand for short-term rentals, like Airbnbs and other holiday accommodations, have caused rents for locals to soar.
“I think tourists now are not the right tourists it has to change,” Torres said. “The flats are mostly for tourists and the people that are working here have no flats.
“The British when they’re drunk they’re not good.”
Alex Perez, 37, who has lived and worked in Benidorm his whole life, said the behaviour of a certain “type” of British tourist who flock to the New Town has declined significantly in the last decade. The main issue, he said, was the arrival of stag dos, which has turned Benidorm into Magaluf in Majorca.
“It used to be more families and now it’s drugs and drugs on drugs,” he said. “They’re not respectful, you can see them straight away they’re [urinating] everywhere and walking across the streets with drinks.
“I don’t have anything against the Brits, but the ones who come to this area are the worst.”