Anti-tourism protesters dashed as Brit tourists spend even more in major Spanish region

By Max Parry, News Reporter

Houses on a cliff in Ronda (Image: Getty)

British tourists are spending more and visiting more places in a region of Spain that saw anti-tourism protests earlier this year.

Andalusia, in the south-eastern corner of the country, known for baking weather and fabulous coastal resorts, has seen a 10 percent increase in the number of municipalities visited by Brits this year.

What's more, according to Andalusia's secretary general for tourism, Yolanda Aguilar, Brits are spending 40 percent more than at previous measures.

All this means, according to Aguilar, that Andalusia has returned to pre-pandemic levels of British arrivals. 

Anti-tourism protesters in Malaga in June 2024 (Image: Getty)

Despite anti-tourism demonstrations earlier in the year, rather than reducing the amount of people traffic into Andalusia, airlines are putting on even more flights.

According to Turismo Costa del Sol CEO Esperanza González, carriers have programmed 11 percent more seats on flights between Malaga Airport and the UK from October to December 2024. That means there are 719,320 seats available. 

A tourism councillor in the city of Malaga, one of the area's most popular destinations, said overnight stays in the city are continuing to rise.

An aerial shot of Malaga, as Andalusia continues to boom (Image: Getty)

Jacobo Florido said that British tourists booked 15 percent more hotel night stays than in 2023. That means an increase of 135,000 extra hotel stays.

"It is a tourist who stays mostly in hotels and who is looking for everything that an urban destination has to offer", he said.

"We are a very appealing destination. In fact, Malaga is the city with the highest growth in overnight stays among cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants," Florido added.