UK expats in Marbella describe growing anger over ‘too many Brits in Spain’ by once ‘very friendly’ locals after their car was vandalised – as anti-tourism protests spread

British expats in Spain have described the growing anger of there being too many Brits in the country after their car was vandalised with pink spray paint.

The couple – who moved from Horsham, West Sussex to Marbella four years ago – say they were targeted by ‘anti-British’ locals in the latest sign of the country’s growing opposition to mass tourism.

At first, they said, they felt welcomed by ‘very friendly’ locals. However, they described how more recently, things have felt less friendly.

They were out for breakfast at exclusive restaurant Nobu when their Volvo XC40 – which has a British plate – was targeted by yobs who covered it in pink spray paint.

They claim staff said the same thing happened to a car with a British number previously and that they suspected it was ‘anti British vandalism’.

Expats in Spain claim British cars have been targeted by ‘anti-British’ locals in the latest sign of the country’s growing opposition to mass tourism. Pictured: A Volvo with a British number paint is seen having been covered with pink spray paint last year

The couple were out for breakfast at exclusive restaurant Nobu when their Volvo XC40 – which has a British plate – was targeted by yobs who covered it in pink spray paint

The couple – who did not want to be named for fear of being targeted further – said it happened in June 2023, but are speaking out now as they feel anti-British sentiment is growing in Spain

A woman is seen shouting at diners during anti-tourism protests in Majorca, May 2024

The couple – who don’t want to be named for fear of being targeted further – say it happened in June 2023 but are speaking out now as they feel anti-British sentiment is growing in the country. 

Spain is feeling the backlash of cheap holidays and some visitors are causing problems – with provinces ‘hitting back’ at tourists with strict rules.

Protesters have taken to the streets in the likes of Tenerife and Majorca, calling on officials to impose limits on how many people can visit.

The anonymous woman said: ‘It seems to be that English reg cars are being targeted as part of feeling that there are too many Brits in Spain.

‘I think it’s quite sad – there is so much building happening now and housing is being sold to tourists but mainly where we are it has been to Russians, not Brits.

‘I just think it’s sad – Marbella is a lovely place to live and the Spanish are normally very friendly,’ she continued. ‘I never expected that someone would do something like this to us just because we’re British.’

The couple, who work in business consultancy, moved to Marbella four years ago.

Thankfully the couple had a friend who cleaned up the car for €250 euros (around £210), though the job would have cost closer to €1,000 (around £850) had they had to take it to a mechanic, they said.

The graffiti attack on the couple’s car appears to be one in a series of similar vandalisms in Marbella targeting cars with British number plates.

MailOnline reported in September 2023 that several cars had been covered in a similar pink spray paint, while some cars had their tyres punctured.

Pictures at the time showed that at least three vehicles were targeted on Marbella’s exclusive Golden Mile – including one opposite the Puente Romano hotel, with photos showing a Fiat Punto and a black vehicle emblazoned with bright pink paint.

The latter was pictured being towed away after also having its tyres slashed.

In September last year, photos emerged of other cars with UK plates with pink spray paint 

At least three vehicles were targeted on Marbella’s exclusive Golden Mile, one opposite the uber-exclusive Puente Romano hotel, with photos showing a Fiat Punto and a black vehicle emblazoned with bright pink spray paint. Pictured: A spray-painted Fiat 500

A black Mercedes was also been pictured with all four tyres punctured.

Anti-tourism sentiment has been growing in recent years as visitor numbers in Spain and other countries return to their pre-pandemic highs.

Spain is the world’s second most visited country, recording 85 million tourists in 2023 – second only to France. 

The likes of Costa Del Sol (where Marbella is found), Costa Blanca, or Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza in the Balearics and Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote in the Canary Islands are all incredibly popular among tourists from the likes of the UK, France and Germany looking for more affordable holiday destinations. 

But with locals feeling their way of life is coming increasingly under pressure, discontent has come to a head.

In both Mallorca and Tenerife, there have been several instances of anti-tourism graffiti appearing on walls across the islands.

Protesters pictured at an anti-tourism demonastration in Menorca on Saturday. It comes amid backlash at ‘overcrowding’ fuelled by boozy UK holidaymakers

A young girl pictured at the protest holding up a sign. The mass demonstration on the Plaza de la Biosfera, in front of the island’s council building, also saw people turn up with deckchairs, towels and sunshades as they mocked up a beach for the day on the concrete

At the protest locals carried placards bearing angry messages in Catalan

‘Tourist Go Home’ is seen scrawled in English over a wall underneath a real estate promotion billboard in Nou Llevant, Mallorca, a neighbourhood that has seen a massive influx of foreign buyers over the past few years. It is one of many instances of anti-tourism graffiti

The Spanish islands are threatened by sea pollution, traffic gridlock and lack of affordable housing linked to the pushing-up of property prices because of Airbnb-style holiday lets

‘Tourist Go Home’ was scrawled in English over a wall underneath a real estate promotion billboard in Nou Llevant, Mallorca, a neighbourhood that has seen a massive influx of foreign buyers over the past few years.

Similar messages have appeared in Tenerife, with one message telling tourists that the island had become ‘my misery, your paradise’.

A flyer stuck to a wall said: ‘Locals are forced to move out and you are responsible for that. Digital nomads are not welcome here.’

In Tenerife’s Palm Mar, a hire car was sprayed with ‘go home’.

In April, hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, calling on the government to tackle the issue of mass tourism to the island.

A small group of those protesters took part in a hunger strike, which was called off after 20 days. The strikers said officials showed ‘zero interest’ in their plight.

While looking visibly gaunt after his 20-day strike, one told supporters at a popular assembly spot in the city: ‘We’ve been amazed at the social response and that’s the best thing we’ll take away from this. I’m very hopeful for the future.’ 

The activists and their supporters said they wanted regional governors to adopt a more sustainable model of tourism to combat problems including pollution, traffic gridlock and a lack of affordable housing which they have linked to mass tourism.

They also sought the paralysis of two tourist projects including one which involves the construction of a five-star hotel by one of Tenerife’s last virgin beaches.

People on a hunger strike sit in wheelchairs during a protest for a change in the tourism model in the Canary Islands, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, April 20, 2024

Protesters flood the streets of Tenerife last month (pictured), calling on local authorities to temporarily limit visitor numbers to alleviate pressure on the islands’ environment, infrastructure and housing stock, and put curbs on property purchases by foreigners

Thousands of people demonstrate against tourism policies on the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain on April 20, 2024

Flyers like this slamming holidaymakers are being stuck to buildings all over Tenerife

A rental car is seen sprayed with ‘Go Home’ in Tenerife

Protests have been organised in Ibiza (pictured, file photo) for later this month. Activist group Prou Eivissa (Enough Ibiza) is calling on residents to take to the streets on May 24 and protest for restrictions on visitor numbers and the island’s excessive party tourism

Meanwhile in the Balearic Islands, similar protests have been ongoing.

Over the weekend, more than 1,000 furious locals attended a demonstration in Menorca amid backlash at ‘overcrowding’ fuelled by boozy UK holidaymakers.

The mass demonstration on the Plaza de la Biosfera, in front of the island’s council building, saw people turn up with deckchairs, towels and sunshades to create a mock beach for the day on the concrete.

Ahead of the protest, lead organiser GOB Menorca slammed ‘colonising tourism’ and in particular Airbnb-style holiday rentals, which have been linked to a lack of affordable housing, claiming: ‘For years Menorca has been increasing excess tourism and the congestion is getting worse.

Colonising tourism has been gaining ground, first on the coast, then in the countryside, then towns and now also in our homes.’ 

On Majorca, measures are already being introduced.

The mayor of Magaluf – a popular party destination for young Brits – has said a 9.30pm alcohol curfew is needed to make the island safer.

This is part of the Balearic government’s new revised law on responsible tourism which aims to outlaw excessive drinking on the island, as well as Playa de Palma and San Antonio in Ibiza. Penalties for non-compliance with the prohibition of alcohol consumption on public roads will range from €500 to €1,500 (£430 to £1,290).

The three party resorts have been divided into zones where the restrictions are in force, and shops that sell alcohol in these areas must also be closed by 9.30pm.

Shops in tourist hotspots like Magaluf have been banned from selling alcohol between 9.30pm and 8am since 2020 as part of legislation that the government claimed was the first of its kind

Crackdowns on over-tourism have been erupting across a series of Spanish islands as they face severe overcrowding and immense spikes in the numbers of boozy holidaymakers

Locals have been coming up with alternatives revolving around the AT signs on the front of holiday apartment blocks, short for Apartamento Turistico in Spanish, in a play on words game

Fake ‘closed’ signs have been placed at beauty spots by locals to turn back gullible tourists

Although the areas where the booze restrictions are in force have been reduced under revised plans – unveiled by the conservative Partido Popular government – it is now illegal to drink in the street in those areas.

It is now also forbidden to pick up or disembark boat party passengers within the areas affected by the Decree, reports the Majorca Daily Bulletin.

The need for stricter measures have also spread to neighbouring Palma as Marga Prohens, the president of the Balearic government said in a statement last week that ‘the Balearic Islands have reached their limit’.

He vowed to demand measures against tourist overcrowding, including ‘regulating the number of rental cars, not expanding the Palma airport and committing to a tourism model that reduces the number of visitors and the environmental footprint’.