Spain fury as protesters in seaside city warn British tourists ‘this is not a theme park’ | World | News
Thousands of furious Spanish residents are expected to swarm the streets of Malaga for what is set to be the largest housing protest in the city yet.
Multiple demonstrations, including the pressure group Malaga Para Vivir (Malaga For Living), plan to join on April 5 to “end the housing business.”
Spokesperson for the organisation Kike España called Malaga’s economic model a “scam”. “Housing has become the most important problem for citizens,” he told The Olive Press.
“Everything in recent decades has been done to turn the centre of Malaga into a tourist attraction park that only benefits a few, while expelling its neighbours.”
The group explains that the government’s measures to ease housing issues are “completely insufficient,” which has led to the organisation of their third protest.
Member of another protest group, Noemi Escobar, says “the housing crisis and a city model based on real estate and tourism speculation, which drives out residents, makes employment precarious, and destroys the territory.”
The activists claim that 80% of homes in areas near Malaga’s central square, Plaza de la Merced, are used as tourist accommodations.
The Spanish region of Andalucia has seen a steady increase in tourism over the last few years. Official data from the National Statistics Institute recorded 13.6 million visitors in 2024, up from 12.2 million in 2023.
“There are 34,466 people registered as housing seekers in the city, while there are 7,496 tourist accommodations with 32,132 available places. Does anyone think this is sustainable?” Ms Escobar questioned.
“On April 5, we return to the streets to demand an end to the housing business and this city model. Málaga is for living, not for turning it into an amusement park.”
The march will travel through a different route than the previous demonstrations. Instead of ending at the traditional gathering point of Plaza de la Constitución, it will conclude in a residential neighbourhood to highlight their focus on the impact on the community.
Last year, multiple anti-tourism protests took place across Europe, with demonstrations in the Canary Islands, mainland Spain, and Greece. As many as 70 associations came together in the Canary Islands, with a string of protests taking place among sunbathers on the sandy coastlines.
