Spanish Residents Difficulty Enjoying The Beach In The Middle Of Foreign Tourist Floods

Beaches in Marbella, Costa Del Sol, Spain. (Wikimedia Commons/Diff)

JAKARTA - International tourists have made Spaniards reluctant to visit their own sunspots as hotel and rental prices continue to rise during an unprecedented spike in tourism.

25 major tourist destinations on the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of Spain experienced a decline in local tourists by 800,000 last year, while foreign tourists increased by 1.94 million, according to official data previously unreported and reviewed by the inAtlas analysis firm.

This trend seems to continue as the second most visited country in the world after France anticipates a record 100 million foreign tourists this year.

"The prices have risen dramatically. The entire coast of Spain is very expensive," said Wendy Davisa, quoted by Reuters on September 1.

He canceled a "luxury" trip with his girlfriend in Cadiz on the southern coast for a cheaper visit to the interior city of Burgos, famous for his Gotik cathedral and the tomb of the 11th-century commander, El Cid.

"Now you don't go on vacation anywhere you want, but wherever you can," added Dvila, who reminisces about childhood beach vacations in Alicante, the Mediterranean.

With a population of 48 million - half the number of foreign tourists each year - Spain is critically dependent on tourism, which accounts for more than 13 percent of GDP.

However, protests are increasingly widespread over housing shortages exacerbated by mass tourism, exacerbated by the unappreciated feeling felt by Spaniards for not being able to buy their favorite vacation.

Hotel prices have risen 23 percent in the last three years to an average of 136 euros per night, according to data firm Mabrian.

The beachside rental price has also risen 20.3 percent since mid-2023, according to price monitoring firm Tecnitasa, with most having been booked for summer in the first quarter.

"It has become increasingly difficult for Spanish tourists to rent beach tourism properties," said Tecnitasa Group President Jose Maria Basez.

Foreign tourists stayed an average of eight nights on Spain's best beaches last year, while locals were only able to spend half of that time and spend a quarter of it, InAtlas said.

In fact, resort hotels are lowering their projections for this summer, despite a surge in foreign tourists, partly because places that are usually their vacation destinations are expected to experience a decline in sales.

Spanishs also made nearly 400,000 fewer trips to the country's major cities by 2024 than the previous year, while foreign tourist visits there increased by nearly 3 million.

Realizing ever-increasing dissatisfaction and inequality, the Spanish Government encourages international tourists to explore outdoor tourist attractions to overcome overcrowding and diversification.

"If we want to continue to be a leader in international tourism, we must decentralize our destinations," Tourism Minister Jordi Hereu said at the launch of the first campaign to highlight the Spanish charm of little known in June.

"We want Europeans and those from other continents to rethink their ideas about Spain they love and visit," he added.

It is known that the Spaniards had a strong tradition of vacationing with their families in the hot summer months, but they preferred Airbnb's rent over hotels, and moved from Catalonia or the Balearik Islands to a less well-known destination in Andalusia or Castille and Le total where prices are lower and mass tourism is not yet popular.

Last year, more than 1.7 million Spaniards vacationed in mostly more affordable hinterland, according to InAtlas.

In the mountainous city of El Bosque, for example, 100 km from Cadiz beach in the Atlantic Ocean, the number of Spanish tourists increased by 22 percent last year.

"There may be a certain displacement effect," said Juan Pedro Aznar, professor and researcher at Madrid-based Esade business school, noting the lower Spanish purchasing power compared to British and German tourists.