Mass tourism crosses one of the most tense moments in Spain, with protests to multiply in the main bathing zones of the country. However, an unexpected intervention in a British television emission rekindled the discussion regarding this tourist destination, and the statements left no one indifferent.
During the Jeremy Vine on 5 program, broadcast on the British channel Channel 5, a spectator enthusiastically defended the positive impact of UK tourists in Spain. The video of the call, shared in the official account of the program on Tiktok, has become viral and is generating thousands of reactions on social networks.
“I will always go to Spain,” said the listener, convinced. “When I am there, I do not enjoy it. I make a point of eating all the Spanish food and enjoying everything. I completely hug the culture,” he added. But it was his view of the role of the British in the Spanish economy and in this most surprised tourist destination: “If it weren’t for us, and for all the money we spend, Benidorm, for example, would still be a beautiful untouched fishing village.”
A statement that touches on an exposed nerve
According to the Spanish newspaper AS, the listener continued with a critique of Brexit, admitting, “This was left. They were offended, and rightly so when we did that.” Still, he assured that nothing prevents her: “But a small demonstration will not prevent me from realizing my dream of living in Spain. I will.”
These statements arise in a particularly sensitive context for the Spanish tourist sector. According to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE), tourism represented more than 12 % of the country’s GDP in 2023 and generated about 2.5 million jobs.
In 2024, Spain reached a new record with 93.8 million international tourists and a total expense of over 126 billion euros. The United Kingdom remained the main emitting country, with almost 18 million visitors.
Cities on the brink of saturation
Despite the significant numbers, large -scale tourism has caused increasingly hostile reactions from local populations. Several coastal cities, such as Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Malaga and San Sebastián, have watched demonstrations with thousands of people demand boundaries from the current model.
Between April and May, between 20 thousand and 50,000 people participated in protests in the Canaries under the motto “Canaryes have a limit”, asking for a moratorium to growth in this tourist destination. In Barcelona and Majorca, the latest protests included water pistols and symbolic tracks directed at tourists, with phrases such as “they are casting out from our cities.”
These actions reflect discontent with pressure on public services, rise in housing prices and the loss of identity of the older neighborhoods, now transformed into a almost exclusive tourist destination.
Tourist model under social pressure
In this scenario, the words of the British spectator seem to collide with the reality experienced by many local communities. Your right to enjoy Spain without restrictions is understandable, but it shocks with the increasing appeal to moderation by residents.
According to, the growing tension around tourism in Spain reveals a deeper problem: a highly profitable but less and less socially sustainable economic model. The question is no longer whether tourism is welcome, but how and to what limits should be managed.
The crisis of legitimacy that tourism faces in various areas of the country requires urgent responses. Meanwhile, statements such as the British spectator do not fail to highlight the different ways as this phenomenon is perceived, depending on the side in which it is.
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