Tourist Go Home; Refugees Welcome
Source: Federico Giampieri on Unsplash
Brits accused of TERRORISM in Spain as hotel bed numbers slashed and tourists intimidated
SPANISH activists have accused Brits of terrorism in Spain as the Balearic government brings in plans to curb the thousands of UK citizens spending MILLIONS in the region.
Holiday hotspots like Mallorca and Ibiza are set to limit the number of holidaymakers to the islands as locals clash with visitors.The number of beds sold to tourists will now be CAPPED at a combined 623,624 on the popular islands of Mallorca and Ibiza as boozy British groups are accused of causing mayhem around coastal towns.
New plans will cut that number to 120,000 over the next few years and 70% of the beds assigned will be in Mallorca.
Anyone breaking the laws will be fined up to €400,000.
Tourism minister Álvaro Nadal has said he is urging lawmakers to protect visitors from “those who perpetrate and instigate acts against tourism”.
He said: “Radical groups that attack the #turismo in @España are clearly politicised and seek fame at any price.”
Balearic Island tourist minister, Biel Barceló, accused foreigners of lawless behaviour, saying measures could “bring order” to the booming industry.
Aggressive protests have broken out in Spain as protesters screamed at holidaymakers to “go home”.
Flares were set off in Palma, Mallorca, as hardliners accused holidayers of causing chaos on in their towns.
A tourism boom has allegedly seen locals “priced out” of popular areas as Spaniard landlords make millions from renting rooms to revellers.
Street protests by anarchist groups in Barcelona, Mallorca and the Basque Country called for tourism to be banned while graffiti in the streets labelled holidaymakers “terrorists”.
New rules will ban flat owners from renting their apartments via websites such as Airbnb and Homeaway unless they obtain a special licence to do so.
Tourist zones are being established in the Balearics, a process which is expected to take at least 12 months.
Airbnb slammed the legislations as “complex and confusing”.
Rentals in all residential buildings will be banned – apart from free-standing and rural properties.
The ban could drive up the price of hotels, causing problem for budget travellers and families looking for an affordable break.
The region's tourism chief Biel Barcelo said: "We want balanced and sustainable tourism so that it can keep being our lead economic activity for many years to come."
More foreigners visited Spain than ever before in 2015 following safety fears after ISIS terror attacks in Egypt and Tunisia.
Government statistics show spending per tourist rose 2.4 percent from January to September, the latest data available.
Foreign tourists spent €37.129 billion between January and July 2015 alone - the highest in recorded history, according to a report released by the federal Tourist Expenditure Survey.
The Minister of Tourism in Spain, Alfredo Retortillo, has blasted the anti-tourism action as “hostile and xenophobic”.
Some tourist-related tweets:
Packed beaches and gridlock loom large as tourists swap terrorism hotspots for Spain https://t.co/D23FUg5xwh— Graham Mad Teacher (@madteacher72) 15 de mayo de 2016
Prague is incredibly beautiful though the HORDES OF tourists is stressful at times. pic.twitter.com/5BzLvCZXHn— Graham Mad Teacher (@madteacher72) 22 de agosto de 2014
‘Tourism kills neighbourhoods’: how do we save cities from the city break? https://t.co/dUBK7wtplz— Graham Mad Teacher (@madteacher72) 7 de agosto de 2017
Comments
People that attack holidaymakers in Mallorca and Ibiza and they call "terrorists" them, they are the same that go on holidays to other countries and they get drunk, insult and destroy the place where they live. They don't respect anybody, the Spanish, the English, Germans and so on. It's the same. I think these people don't respect refugees, they pretend that they respect them but it's false, they do it because it's fashion, pose and cliché.
Why do hardliners upset? Maybe is their town, their village or their place yours? No. They are ignorant and hick. My place, my country, my planet is not mine, they belong to everybody. Do you think that they can understand? No, because their brain is melted.
Don't you think that there are a lot of people that always is protesting but they never offer a proposal to improve society. I'm afraid they are lazy.
See you soon.
How strange! I've just come across this comment and it doesn't have a reply. Maybe it was a case of reading your comment and not replying immediately (I need to feel energetic)
People who attack holidaymakers in Mallorca and Ibiza and call them "terrorists" are the same ones who go on holidays to other countries, get drunk, insult others, and destroy the places where they stay. They don’t respect anyone—Spaniards, English, Germans, and so on. It’s all the same. I think these people don’t respect refugees either; they pretend to, but it’s false. They do it because it’s fashionable, a pose, and a cliché.
Why do hardliners get upset? Is the town, village, or place theirs? No. They are ignorant and provincial. My place, my country, my planet isn’t mine; it belongs to everybody. Do you think they can understand that? No, because their brains are fried.
Don’t you think there are a lot of people who are always protesting but never offer a proposal to improve society? I’m afraid they are lazy.