This year has been the year of tourism backlash – particularly in Spain where spontaneous protests have broken out across the country in response to overtourism. Locals say tourists drive up prices, and put excessive pressure on transport and other infrastructure.
Even after the summer holiday season ended the protests continued, with thousands of Canary Islands locals taking to the streets in October.
But where does this leave foreigners who have settled in Spain for the long term? Kiwi expat James Blick, who lives in Spain’s capital, Madrid, explained on the Nomad Capitalist podcast how he manages to integrate into Spanish society.
He says the first thing to notice is that Spanish society is a lot more laid-back then some other countries: “It’s a country where people are welcoming, people have time to speak, and to have an interaction. They’re not harried constantly.”
He adds that a lot of the stories about Spain’s hostility are exaggerated: “We’re in a moment right now when particularly Spain is being in the news for a lot of the anti-tourism stuff.”
The current wave of protests began in the Canary Islands in April 2024, spreading to some of Spain’s most popular tourist hotspots, such as the Alicante, Balearic Islands, and Barcelona, where some protesters squirted foreign visitors with water pistols and shouted: “Tourists go home!”
While some unlucky tourists are undeniably being sprayed with water by angry Spaniards, James says that integration is key to being accepted by your new neighbours: “I say this to people – whether they’re coming as a tourist or coming to to move here – if you show interest in Spain and you show interest in the people and you try and have some level of integration then people are going to appreciate your curiosity.”
He says that nine out of 10 visitors or expats aren’t encountering the hostility that we tend to read about in the news: “99% of tourists or people who move here are not having these negative experiences,” he says. “The Spanish people are very welcoming.”
James adds that it’s possible to “live like a king” in Spain on quite a modest income, making it worth considering a move.
