Revealed on
Planning a visit to Málaga this summer season? The southern Spanish metropolis has a message for you. Or, moderately, 10 of them.
“Costume fully” and “don’t be conspicuous” stand on the high of the listing of golden guidelines simply launched by the town. They’re all a part of Málaga’s ‘Enhance Your Keep’ marketing campaign.
First launched final summer season, the up to date vacationer behaviour marketing campaign goals to curb the antics of sure unruly guests.
What are Málaga’s new guidelines?
The listing of 10 strongly advised guidelines, now displayed on buses, billboards and social media, is designed to ease tensions between vacationers and residents, lots of whom really feel the town has reached a breaking level.
The marketing campaign asks guests to maintain noise down, particularly at night time; keep away from shouting or blaring music in residential areas; and use designated bins and bathrooms.
Scooters and bicycles are banned from pedestrian areas, whereas skimpy outfits and naked pores and skin are discouraged anyplace off the seaside.
Final yr, the town upped fines for infractions reminiscent of littering, extreme noise and public drunkenness to €750.
However whereas Málaga is encouraging guests to tidy up their behaviour, many locals consider the problems run deeper than etiquette.
Tourism backlash grows throughout Spain
Spain is going through a wider reckoning with mass tourism. FromBarcelona to the Balearic Islands, residents have been staging protests in opposition to hovering hire, housing shortages, overcrowding and the environmental toll of unchecked customer numbers.
In Málaga final yr, demonstrators plastered the town with anti-tourism stickers bearing messages like “this was my residence,” amongst different much less well mannered sentiments. Related protests erupted in San Sebastián, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife and Sevilleall through 2024, and the motion has proven no indicators of slowing down in 2025.
In March and April,recent demonstrations broke out throughout the nation forward of the busy Easter season. Locals known as for caps on cruise ships, restrictions on short-term leases and a extra sustainable mannequin of tourism that places residents first.
New laws have begun to mirror these considerations. Earlier this yr, Spain’s Supreme Courtroom upheld an order in Catalonia to take awayalmost 66,000 unlawful vacationer listings from Airbnb and different platforms. Within the Balearic Islands, stricter controls on alcohol consumption and occasion boats have been launched to curb extreme behaviour.
In the meantime, Barcelona has introduced plans to fully part out short-term vacationer residences by 2028, returning hundreds of properties to the long-term rental market.
Tourism is welcome in Spain, however take note of guidelines
Whereas tourism stays an important a part of Spain’s economic system, the message from many Spanish cities this summer season is obvious: guests are welcome, however not at any price.
Whether or not you are headed to Málaga, Madrid or Mallorca, count on extra guidelines, steeper fines and fewer tolerance for disruptive behaviour.
Travellers ought to keep watch over native tips, respect residents’ area and, above all,journey consciously.
Or as Málaga’s posters put it, don’t be conspicuous.