Signs warn English-speaking tourists to stay away from popular Spanish beaches
English-speaking holidaymakers have been told to stay away from 50 popular beaches in Spain.
Some of the signage looks to warn of jellyfish on the beach while others say to stay away due to cliff falls or sewage. Other posters note that it takes three hours to get to the beach that is just a few metres ahead. One states that a nearby beach is closed. The warnings are not real, but a protest from an anti-tourism group, the Daily Star reported.
The signs are written in English with local Catalan written below explaining that the warnings are fake. On the jellyfish poster, the Catalan reads: "Open beach. Not to jellyfish or foreigners." Another one drawing attention to the possibility of rockfalls says there is no landslide, but instead warns about overcrowding. The unofficial signs are being put up by anti-over tourism group Manacor Caterva.
Signs have warned of jellyfish (Caterva_mnc)
Tourists have also been warned of falling rocks (Caterva_mnc)The group has complained: "The usurpation of the coves is just one more expression of how capitalism uses an economic activity such as tourism, takes it to the extreme and freely dries up the land and extracts the maximum surplus value from the workers." It added that Mallorca "suffers" from "tourist overcrowding" and that "the coves of the Balearic Islands have been expropriated by tourism".
Despite the fake signs, it's important to know that some beach warnings are real – and vital to take notice of. The s’Aigua Blanca, in Ibiza, Spain has been named a danger to the public after storms and strong waves have battered the shore this summer. The Santa Eulària Town Council claims that the conditions could trigger landslides. As such, you can no longer access the beach and danger warnings have been plastered on barriers leading to the area – this will continue to be prohibited throughout the summer.
Spanish island loved by Brits wants to cut tourist numbers to stop 'saturation'
Plus, this year, almost Majorca Daily Bulletin have been issued a "black flag" for pollution. The flags are assigned based on pollution such as chemical spills, dog poo and any invasive developments. Lots of those that have been reported to have black flags are popular with foreign tourists. These include A Calzoa in Vigo, which has been described as “the worst dog beach in Spain”.
Local media claims the sandy stretch has been ruined by high levels of dog waste. Other beaches affected are located across Malaga, the Canary Islands, Catalonia, Balearic Islands and the Basque. If you see signs at the entryway to a beach you should check if they have symbols or the name of official authorities in your area. If you cannot read what is written then apps like Google Translate let you convert a photo to English fairly easily.
Over-tourism is not just a problem in Spain, but in the UK as well. While residents of Bath in Somerset likely love the grand Georgian architecture and Roman baths that have put it on the map, its considerable reputation has a downside. Six million people visit the 94,000 resident city each year, meaning each local is outnumbered 63 to one. As a result, it has been named the over-tourism capital of the country.
"The ancient city of Bath took the top spot, with a total tourist-pressure score of 8.35/10. Bath ranked in the top 15 locations for all but one category, and it seems the problem will keep growing as there was a 108% rise in the number of searches about holidaying in Bath in peak summer last year, which we can only expect to be on the increase in 2023," wrote Hey Discount, which conducted the study.
Millions of tourists flock to the city every year to see sights such as Bath Abbey and the Roman baths, which were recently named one of the UK’s best places to visit by TripAdvisor."
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