With anti-tourism demonstrations still springing up across Spain, a Benidorm resident has revealed what locals genuinely think about the British holidaymakers who descend upon the coastal resort.
Recently, numerous tourist destinations in Spain – including Barcelona, Malaga, the Balearic Islands, and the Canary Islands – have witnessed demonstrations from residents voicing their anger at their communities being overwhelmed by visitors, whilst seeing little benefit from the increased revenue.
The influx of foreign visitors buying Spanish second homes, combined with locals acquiring extra properties for short-term rentals, has driven rental costs through the roof in numerous Spanish areas. This has led to some residents being forced out of their home communities.
However, what is the feeling in one of Britain’s most beloved holiday destinations?
British holidaymakers represent the biggest market for the seaside destination of Benidorm, with more than 832,000 Brits flocking to the Costa Blanca area in 2023 alone.
However, according to one local, the residents of Benidorm are delighted to receive tourists.
A clip posted on TikTok last year by Frank the Stag Man – a Brit who arranges stag and hen celebrations in Benidorm and lives in the Spanish coastal town – indicates that visitors remain extremely welcome.
He said: “Are tourists welcome in Benidorm? The answer is yes, yes, yes. Has there been any signs of any types of protests in Benidorm against tourists? No, no, no.”
Frank added: “One of the reasons I say that and I think that it’s going to remain that way is because pretty much everyone that’s working in Benidorm that lives in Benidorm has some connection with a tourism business or the sector of tourism.
“Whether that means they’re working in a bar, restaurant, hotel, whether they’re in some sort of services industry, no matter what type of business it is, it’s going to feel some affect of tourism.
“As soon as you start to minimise the amount of tourism and minimise the amount of tourists coming to a place like Benidorm, you’re about to start eliminating jobs left right and centre.
“And that doesn’t only mean jobs, it means employers and businesses are going to lose their businesses as well. All of these people are going to have no money.”
Frank also highlighted that concerns over escalating rental costs for residents would become meaningless if tourism vanished from Benidorm.
He said that without the steady stream of holidaymakers, locals would find themselves without income and therefore unable to meet rental payments, regardless of any potential reductions.
The expat concluded: “What’s going to end up happening is that fewer people will have any money at all, [so they’re] definitely not going to be able to pay their rent and that’s going to create a big big problem.”
Frank’s feelings were recently echoed by Leire Bilbao, director at Visit Benidorm, who told The Express that Benidorm continues to warmly welcome tourists as usual.
She stated: “We are happy for every tourist that chooses us. Imagine, they are saving money all year to invest in their holidays and they decide to choose us. Our fidelity rate is very high – 73% of the tourists come back to us. That is a wonderful award for us.”