Authorities in Malaga, Spain, have launched a campaign to remind visitors how and how not to behave, including warnings about nakedness, noise, and street safety.
The coastal Mediterranean destination, in popular Andalusia, drew around 14 million visitors in 2023. A large contingent of those are, famously or infamously, Brits, known to enjoy the region’s plentiful sun, sea and nightlife.
But residents and campaigners in Spain and other holiday hotspots around the world have turned against what some claim is an overly successful tourism industry. They say it is pricing them out of their local housing markets and changing the character and liveability of their neighbourhoods.
Guerilla protests have included sticker and poster campaigns telling tourists to Go Home and other, ruder requests, marches and demonstrations and even squirting tourists with waterguns.
In response to locals’ concerns, officials in Malaga have now created a billboard and online campaign in both English and Spanish, outlining some simple behaviours tourists can adopt to better fit in and keep things civilised. From litter etiquette to clothing faux pas, there are four main pieces of advice:
Keep the city clean
Visitors are asked to use the garbage cans or rubbish bins provided for disposal of trash and to pay particular attention not to litter near monuments, heritage attractions, or parks and gardens.
Sidewalks are for pedestrians
Anyone travelling by bicycle, scooter is asked to avoid pavements which are meant for those on foot and to instead use “legally designated” spaces for their micromobility transport solutions.
Do not be conspicuous
This council rule could be argued to be more subjective, but behaviours deemed to be officially overly attention-seeking or disruptive include inconsiderate shouting, singing, playing loud music and disturbing your community’s quiet rest time, with particular respect to be accorded to the elderly, sick, children, students and essential workers.
Dress completely
After a bylaw introduced in 2023 which made it illegal to be seen undressed in public, with fines up to €750 (£633) for violations, this “dress completely” plea seems once again to be targeting those who try to go topless or shirtless, since the advice tells tourists to “wear an upper garment”, whether they are “on the street or in public places”. Presumably authorities also want you to wear something on your bottom half too, but that goes without saying.
