A UK tourist has slammed the “selfish” behaviour of fellow Brits on a Spanish holiday. Adele Gough, 35, recalled how a sunbed dash at her hotel was so competitive that she did not use a lounger for her entire week-long holiday. She watched in disbelief as guests massed by the pool gates at 9am, before charging forward and hurling towels on sunbeds. The hotel cleaner from Great Shefford, Berkshire, captured the chaotic scenes at the four-star GHT Oasis Park Hotel in Lloret de Mar, Spain, on camera last week, and found the antics so appalling that she refused to take part in it, and went her entire trip without using a lounger.
She said: “At first I found it all pretty funny and typical of holiday-goers. It was entertaining to watch. But I do think it’s a bit selfish, as most of the sunbeds just sat there with a towel on them all day.” Ms Gough, who was celebrating her birthday on the holiday, said there were not any clear rules about reserving sunbeds, which she believes led to the panicked rush each morning.
Not wanting to spend her mornings queueing and running, she chose to skip the sunbed scramble entirely.
Ms Gough said: “There weren’t any signs or rules posted anywhere around the hotel so all people could do was wait until the lifeguards opened the gates and then rush in.
“I decided not to bother so I didn’t end up using the sunbeds at all this holiday.”
Lloret de Mar saw 587,697 overnight stays from Brits in 2024, according to tourism officials.
This represented 12% of the total, but 6% less than in 2023.
The Spanish destination has reportedly had a dependency on the Ukrainian and Russian markets.
Elizabeth Keegan, head of the Lloret Turisme body explained in July that Lloret has been looking for other nationalities, in particular Spaniards, people from Poland, and more Germans than usual, according to Catalan News.
There are also some Irish visitors, as well as an increase in French and Belgian nationals.
It comes after Spain saw anti-tourism protests across the mainland and on its islands earlier this year.
Campaigners said at the time: “The influx of visitors, combined the new residents strains essential infrastructure such as public transportation, waste management, and water supply, while contributing to environmental pollution and degradation.
“This system provides minimal benefits to the local population, perpetuating issues like poverty and vulnerability, and fueling urban development projects and corruption that worsen the crisis.”