Seville Spain: Holiday warning issued to UK holidaymakers as popular European city declares it is 'bursting at the seams'

A warning has been issued to UK holidaymakers as another popular Spanish city has declared that it is “bursting at the seams” and they have had “enough” of tourists. Locals in Seville have spoken out, joining the likes of the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands in protesting over “overtourism”.

Protest group "Sevilla Se Muere" carried out a march in Seville's city centre on 10 April protesting against the tourism industry and the problems it creates for locals. The group's name in English means "Seville is dying".

The platform said: "With the slogan of this call, Now is the Time, we want to denounce the city model that the city council and lobbies are imposing on us. For years, we have seen abuses that only benefit a few and condemn our neighbours. It is time for them to know that what they have been doing with Seville for years is not what we Sevillians want for our city. The city is bursting at the seams. We can't take it any more. Let's reverse this unsustainable situation before it is too late". 

The group added: "The people of Seville pay the costs of cleaning and repairs, while we suffer the noise and insecurity that they cause." Seville welcomes three million tourists every year, and has a population of 700,000. 

It is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. The protests in the city come after it has been announced that marches will take place in Tenerife, Lanzarote and beyond on 20 April 20. Locals have cited a lack of housing as a factor for the protest as well as poor living conditions.

Spain’s housing minister Isabel Rodriguez announced that the country will crackdown on holiday homes as she says she doesn’t want Madrid to “be a theme park”. On Thursday (11 April), Spain’s housing minister Isabel Rodriguez said she would intervene over the housing crisis that is being caused by overtourism. 

She said: “This is more than Operation Camp which is the largest ever public housing promotion and I don’t want the centre of Madrid to be a theme park, but to remain a city. We will act in a precise and targeted way because tourist rentals in some regions are an opportunity for tourist dynamism but it has to be regulated according to that diversity.” 

Earlier this month the president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, called for "common sense", adding that tourism is the "main source of employment and wealth" for the local economy and urging protestors to be “responsible”. He said that tourists "come to enjoy themselves, to spend a few days and to leave their money in the Canary Islands".