World

`Tourists go home`: Leftists resist Spain`s influx

Youths in Catalonia and the Basque Country have daubed the slogan "tourists go home" on some buildings - just as foreigners flock to Spain on holiday, spending millions of euros.

A spokesperson for leftist Catalans behind the protests said today's model of mass tourism was impoverishing working-class people. Leftist Basques plan to stage an anti-tourism march on 17 August in San Sebastian, during a major festival. Semana Grande (Big Week) is a week-long celebration of Basque culture.

Regional officials say the protests are isolated - and insist that tourists are welcome. They deplore the acts of vandalism, and stress that tourism is a vital industry for Spain.

A record 75.6 million tourists visited Spain in 2016 - and Catalonia hosted 18 million of them, making it the most popular region. The slogan "tourism is killing neighbourhoods" was daubed on the bus and one of its tyres was punctured. None of the passengers were injured. The anti-tourism campaign has also sparked a heated debate on Twitter, under the hashtag #touristgohome.