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TOURISM

‘Get the f*ck out of here’: Spain’s Málaga plastered with anti-tourism stickers

Málaga city centre is being emblazoned with stickers demanding tourists “go f*cking home” as locals in the Costa del Sol city struggle with the negative consequences of its exploding popularity among holidaymakers and foreign digital nomads.

Published: 13 March 2024 11:48 CET
'Get the f*ck out of here': Spain's Málaga plastered with anti-tourism stickers
Since the advent of remote working during the Covid-19 pandemic, thousands of international remote workers have flocked to Málaga, along with millions of foreign holidaymakers. (Photo by JORGE GUERRERO / AFP)

“This used to be my home” (antes esta era mi casa) , “go f*cking home” (a tu puta casa), “stinking of tourist” (apestando a turista), “this used to be the city centre” (antes esto era el centro) and “Your dead loved ones, mayor” (Alcalde tus muertos) are some of the hostile messages recently adorning walls and doors in the Andalusian city of Málaga. 

This “sticker initiative” was started by local bar owner Dani Drunko who runs a well-known bar in Málaga called Drunkorama, and who selected some of the most liked anti-tourism slogans from his followers and made them into stickers that now decorate Málaga city centre.

Drunko told local daily Diario Sur that he began the campaign after he was “kicked out” of the home he’d been living in for ten years, with the landlords refusing to negotiate the rent or sell him the property because they wanted to turn it into a short-term tourism rental. 

“There’s a lot of hype because locals are tired of the situation; I just suggested the idea of ​​the catchphrases, I offered the spark, and now others have joined,” Drunko added about how other campaign groups such as GuirisGoHome taking part as well. 

READ ALSO: Is the Spanish word ‘guiri’ (foreigner) offensive?

“Málaga city centre has been going downhill for a long time, so much so that if for example something in my bar breaks, I don’t have a hardware store on hand to buy anything, since the tourist who comes doesn’t need to buy screws”.

The Local Spain’s reporter Esme Fox, who last November wrote the article “Why Spain’s Málaga is becoming a victim of its own success”, has recently experienced the change to the Andalusian city first-hand.

“It’s definitely busier than before during low season,” Fox explains.

“A few years ago I visited in August and it was busy as expected, but this time I visited in January and at night it seemed to be just as packed. It was just a regular Wednesday night and it’s as though a festival was taking place given the sheer amount of people in the streets and spilling out of bars.

“There are lockboxes for tourists to self-check at practically every building in the centre! 

“Prices have also increased significantly with regards to food. Tapas in Málaga city were more expensive than what I’m used to paying in Barcelona where I live.”

Spain’s Costa del Sol, where Málaga is located, received a record 14 million national and international holidaymakers in 2023, but its popularity is such that many foreigners are choosing to move there.

Eight out of 10 new residents moving to Málaga are currently foreigners, according to recent data from Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE).

Google and 630 other tech companies have set up shop in Málaga in recent years as well, turning the city into the ‘Silicon Valley’ of Europe and drawing thousands of international remote workers and digital nomads for its combination of cosmopolitan work environment and quality of life under the sun.

Málaga is certainly going places, but as evidenced by this latest anti-tourism campaign, malagueños are angry about the fact that they’re being priced out and alienated from their home city.

READ ALSO: ‘Beach closed’: Fake signs put up in Spain’s Mallorca to dissuade tourists

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EES PASSPORT CHECKS

EES border checks could undergo ‘soft launch’, UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a "soft launch" of the new EU border system – the Entry/Exit (EES) system - in October but authorities are still waiting for European Commission to confirm the start date, amid concerns over the delay of a new app.

Published: 4 May 2024 09:30 CEST
EES border checks could undergo 'soft launch', UK says as app concerns mount

The government is working on the assumption that the system will go live on October 6th, ministers told a hearing at the House of Commons European scrutiny committee this week.

But the European Commission is expected to confirm the exact launch date of the new biometric checks for non-EU travellers entering the Schengen area at some point this summer, they added.

“We are very much working on a basis whereby this policy will go live on the 6th of October. It is important that we plan for that eventuality. We are expecting to hear definitively from the European Union that ‘go live’ arrangement in the summer,” Tom Pursglove, UK Minister for Legal Migration and the Border told the committee.

The parliamentary committee is conducting an inquiry on the disruptions the system will cause in the UK.

Pursglove also said that “precautionary measures” have been agreed by the EU, that will be put in place in certain circumstances after the start of EES, for example if delays at the borders exceeded a certain length of time.

Guy Opperman, Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, said that in practice this meant a “soft launch” of EES for 6 months before “a full go live”. During that soft launch EU member states and the UK could deploy flexibility measures should problems occur.

“The likelihood is, after multiple delays, that the 6th of October will proceed” and the implementation looks “very different” compared to previous scenarios considering the flexibility allowed in the first 6 months, he argued.

No details were given on what these “flexible” measures would involve however. 

READ ALSO: Your questions answered about Europe’s EES passport checks

He conceded that “a lot of work” still needs to be done but the UK “should be as ready as everybody” and “better be at front of the queue”.

App not ready

During the meeting, it also emerged that a much-anticipated app that would allow remote pre-registration of non-EU citizens subject to the checks will not be available for testing until August “at best”, prompting concerns about the EES launch date.

“You don’t need to be a sceptic about future projects to think that the provision of the app in August for going live in October is optimistic,” Opperman said.

Ministers confirmed that the app will not be ready in time for October and the committee previously stated it might be delayed until summer 2025.

The app will facilitate pre-registration, but photo and fingerprints will still have to be taken at the border in front of a guard, the committee heard.

READ ALSO: How do the EU’s new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

Several MPs asked whether the entry into operation of the EES should be delayed again if technology is not ready. But Under-Secretary Opperman said the app “is not going to be a panacea to fix all problems”.

The main aim of EES is to increase security and to ensure that non-EU nationals visiting the Schengen area for a short-term do not stay more than 90 days in any 180-day period.

The entry into operation of the system has already been delayed several times and there have been calls from certain travel companies and national authorities to delay it again.

Under the new scheme, non-EU/EFTA travellers who do not need a visa will have to register their biometric data (finger prints and facial images) in a database that will also record each time they enter and exit the Schengen area.

Instead of having passports manually stamped, travellers will have to scan them at self-service kiosks before crossing the border. However, fingerprints and a photo will have to be registered in front of a guard at the first crossing and there are concerns the extra time needed will generate long queues, especially in Dover, Folkestone and St. Pancras station in London, where there are juxtaposed French and UK border checks.

Progress in preparations

Minister Pursglove also updated MPs on ongoing preparations. He said some testing of the system will take place within days, 5 kiosks have been installed at St. Pancras station and are available for testing. “You are beginning to see the physical infrastructure appear,” he said.

Kiosks and extra lanes are also being created at the port Dover and it was agreed with the EU passengers travelling by coach will be checked away from the Eastern dock, where controls usually take place, allowing to gain space. The vehicles will then sealed and drive on the ferries.

MPs also discussed the infrastructure cost linked to the introduction of the EES. Opperman said all EU countries will have to make “huge investments” in their ports. In the UK, he argued, this will help “address problems that have existed for some time”. Because of this “massive investment”, in a few years time “Dover will be totally transformed,” he said.

This article is published in cooperation with Europe Street News.

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