You have great sandy beaches, a fantastic gastronomy culture for open-minded foodies and when the sun is out, it's out you know? These are a few reasons why I like travelling to Spain; Some cities are similar, but no place is the same and there is much to enjoy and explore!
When I started my Spanish journey in 2018, I was super excited as it was my first time being back in mainland Spain since a school trip to Barcelona in 2006, leaving me with a negative view and in no rush to return. Twelve years later, I decided to give Espana another chance. I was living amongst the people for four, incredibly hot months and my preference was to be in a city with the least tourists, and that was to the South, to Seville.
I then returned in 2022 after a very intense few years of not being able to travel and the devastating vote for Brexit, everything felt very weird with all the new rules and regulations.
Even though I would never describe Seville as having a load of tourists compared to cities like Barcelona, there was always a handful of American, British and German sightseers. Spain was incredibly militant during and after lockdown with who visits the country, but it was kind of nice just being amongst the locals, foreign students and foreign teachers. The streets were walkable, the clubs were moveable (just about) and I was meeting more Sevillianos than ever!
¿Qué pasó?
I took a trip to Spain in June. I tend to go back every year or so, but this was a much-needed, one-month break to spend time clearing my mind, getting creative and enjoying positive moments with friends.
My first stop was Madrid and it was my first time visiting the capital city. I wasn't sure what to expect because I never heard of many people visiting there unless they were from Spain, but I was open to a new location and a new place to tick off the map.
Once we were off the plane and turning the corner to passport control, my heart skipped a beat to the gathering of hundreds of shoving, shouting and demanding visitors as airport attendants tried to organise us into the correct lines.
I bobbed and weaved through oncoming people waving their passports and tickets in the air like they just didn't care (joke) but suddenly a cloud of realisation came over me, I had come at the wrong time, the peak time!
Throughout my week's stay in the capital, I continued to sweat by the number of giris I encountered on my trips through the streets. I ducked down narrow calles to calm my nerves as Google tried to detect my whereabouts and navigate me through the human traffic to a quiet Vegan cafe. The joke was on me as I get terrible crowd anxiety when travelling alone, and the tour groups seem to come in loud unescapable packs of twenty.
One evening as my friend and I walked through the streets of Chueca, a quirky, gay district in the heart of Madrid, I noticed stickers dotted around saying "Save the neighbourhood - Fuck Airbnb". Paula being a native of Spain, advised me that the younger generation (including herself) was finding it very difficult to move out and into an affordable apartment, let alone any apartment at all! Rooms and flats were being let out to travellers who only stayed for a few days, making it a pain in the neck to find somewhere secure. To add more salt to the wounds, Spanish nationals have a lower salary compared to
other countries, making it harder for natives to afford the same prices as outsiders.
I wondered to myself if I contributed to this uncontrollable fiasco as I travel there so often and tend to stay in Airbnb's when I'm unable to find a cheap hotel, how do I help the situation?
"Oh no, I'm a giri!"
I arrive at my next destination, Seville, which I will always call home. Once I threw my bags down in my 2nd Airbnb of the trip, a house built for short-staying visitors as everyone except me seemed to stay there for around 2-3 days, I hit the streets on a 40-minute walk to the centre.
I walked towards my favourite spot, a bench underneath an orange tree on-looking 'La Giralda' where I had often sat and read my many books. Interestingly, my old apartment for foreign students had now been converted into housing for what seemed to be Spanish residents, so someone out there was listening to the cries of the public!
My book was firmly in hand and I could not wait to sit and admire the views and fall in love with Jane Austin's old English ... I bop around the corner only to be bombarded by a hefty amount of tourists taking pictures of La Giralda. Once again, I retreat to a narrow street to reflect and I'm like "WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING!? It shouldn't be this busy during this time?? It wasn't like this 2 years ago, nobody was here!". I gather myself and head over to my favourite tapas restaurant, a small, quiet spot that tourists usually miss. The same people have worked there since I discovered it 6 years ago and thankfully it's still peaceful and still there - They can take all my Euros.
I was catching up with old work colleagues and told my old manager and receptionist about my encounter. Acu, the receptionist said in her deep and husky voice "I am never going back to the centre, there are too many tourists, I could hardly walk!" so it wasn't just me, something significant was happening here but why?
During a grey and incredibly confusing period we called lockdown, the future of tourism was starting to develop into what it is today, a moshpit of eager tourists wanting to get out there and see the world again. People travel from near and far to endure the simple bliss of "normality" and spend the savings they had accumulated during that time on something meaningful and worthwhile.
But it is not just Spain that is hollering loudly about this influx of overtourism oh no, all across the world others are feeling the overpowering effects of well, too many man [pun].
As we speak, Mount Fuji's famous picture spots are being dramatically boarded up to prevent the presence of influencers and tourists! Is it petty, a little, do I get it? Kinda. Businesses are not thriving from this takeover and I don't believe the wages are going up, but I do feel sorry for the natives who are also impacted by this decision.
Lower-impact countries like Uzbekistan and Latvia may get the spotlight if this type of hostility continues, because who wants to be squirted by water pistols when they are eating Barcelona? Absolutely no one.
Places like the North of Spain are starting to have an inflow of unfamiliar faces due to the unfriendliness of popular destinations, and not to forget their tolerable lower temperatures.
Do longer stays mean better days?
Who knows!
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