Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
Two of the latest posters in Malaga.
Malaga City, as the summer holiday season peaks reaches its peak, has launched an updated campaign called “Improve Your Stay”, which urges tourists to follow a list of 10 behaviour guidelines designed to curb disruptive behavior.
Malaga is currently one of the most fashionable European cities to visit and is cracking down on unruly visitors with fines of up to €750 for infractions like littering, public intoxication, and excessive noise.
The “Improve Malaga Stay” campaign is displayed prominently on buses, advertising hoardings in social media and other places. It advises tourists not to shout or play loud music near residential areas, and to keep the noise level low. Use of designated bins and bathrooms, as well as a ban on bicycles and scooters within pedestrian zones are also part of the rules. The initiative, originally launched in 2022 in summer, reflects tensions growing between Malaga residents and tourists. Residents feel overwhelmed by large numbers of tourists in the city and rude behaviour from some visitors. Spain struggles with the impact mass tourism has on its cities. In 2024, stickers with anti-tourism messages such as “This used to be home” began appearing in Malaga.
Spain is changing. Catalonia’s Supreme Court has recently upheld the removal nearly 66,000 illegal listings on platforms like Airbnb. In Andalusia 9,200 legally registered tourist rental properties have not renewed their licences. Balearic Islands has introduced stricter alcohol and party boat controls, while Barcelona is planning to phase out short term tourist apartments in favor of local housing by 2028.
Malaga’s council is taking measures to curb the effects of too many visitors in the city. The council is promoting a measure to restrict low-quality tourist apartments and hotels to attract higher-spending tourists. Francisco de la Torre, the mayor of Madrid, has changed his position from opposing a legal change moratorium to support a ban on new tourist apartments for three years. This is due to public demand.
