Are you coming to Spain this year?
If so let us know. If not, why not.? Comment below…
Despite the recent protests by Spanish residents in some areas about excessive tourism (Mallorca, as an example) there are many other places in Spain where tourists are very welcome. Some undiscovered regions well worth exploring.
My own view (Anthony). I have lived in Spain on and off for ten years. As a child, my family, along with another family visited Mallorca each year for more than 20 years. 8 of us. Sometimes twice a year. We were first attracted to it as a quaint and beautiful place, full of small fishing villages and happy families. Not wealthy, but not poor either. Plenty of natural resources, seafood and agriculture being obvious examples.
Wow, we saw the changes over the years, and we stopped going there. Until recently.
I am entirely sympathetic to the viewpoint of the locals in places like Mallorca, Ibiza etc. But the BIG question they must ask themselves is: do they want to return to being a place without tourism? Perhaps so, but at what cost? Thousands of jobs could be lost, businesses fail and many people displaced.
Besides, if they do return to being just small fishing villages and happy families, it´s a lovely thought but it will attract more tourists, and the cycle will begin all over again.
Conclusion. If Mallorca really wants to stop tourism (which the majority do not) there is only one solution. Close the airport to international flights. If that were the case, perhaps more Spanish residents and families would visit and make up for the loss. An alternative might be to increase the hotel prices so that the British, Dutch, German etc. lager louts, who are often the cause of disgruntlement, would no longer be able to afford it. This applies equally to the Costas!
What do you think?
Hi, I commented on your last post, and as I said we are not going to bother with Spain. Their attitude sucks, and so do the protests about too much tourism. If they continue with these stupid socialist attitudes Spain will return to the dark ages. Sad to see.
Hi again Margaret. Please don’t give up on Spain. We know the reports about 100% tax upset you, but we think those reports are not correct. Even if they are, the law would not come into being for many months. We think that prices will drop or at least stabilise for a while, so in a few months is a good time to buy if you intend to live here, but probably not now for Speculators. We do not encourage that. As you know, we agree with the Gov intentions, but NOT with their proposed methods.
The Algarve in Portugal is a good alternative. It is cheaper and very welcoming. In fact the entire area is aimed directly at tourism. There are 8,676 cheap hotels in the Algarve you can book directly on Booking.com.
Hi Loli, thanks. We looked at that a few months back, and our findings were there are an even larger number on the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca at around the same prices, some even cheaper. But remember it will soon be the high season so prices everywhere tend to be higher.
If you are single or a couple with no children, the best times are when the Schools are open. Also, Booking.com is excellent but they do not always have the lowest prices. If you know where you want to go, our advice is to compare the booking direct prices first. You will find that some that are higher, but many are lower. This is generally because they do not have to pay fees when customers book directly with them.
Just to add, we do not think it is fair to hike the prices when the children are out of school, but that is the market reality, and it has been forever!
You mention “undiscovered regions well worth exploring”. But you do not say where they are? We would love to know!
Hi Bob, there is a helpful page at this link below. We will work on it some more. making specific suggestions.
https://costadelsol.villas/properties/andalucia/fun-adventure-free-attractions-for-tourists-and-locals/
We have a campervan and plan to spend 3 months touring France and Spain. We love both countries. Also Portugal. We find this is the best way to discover new places which are off the well beaten track. It much less expensive than the hotels, with freedom to move as you wish.
One of our favorite areas are the hills and valleys to the north of the area between Huelva in Spain and Lagos in Portugal. Also the beaches in this area are particularly attractive and clean. They are generally not as busy as the Costa del Sol. Hope this helps 🙂