British holiday makers could soon feel unwelcome in one of their favourite Spanish resorts, as anti-tourist mania grips the country.
Last week saw huge demonstrations on the Canary Islands, as local communities vented their anger over mass tourism.
Organisers of the rally told Express.co.uk that over 120,000 locals had attended the protest march.
Now business leaders fear that anti-tourist anger could soon sweep through Benidorm – a hotspot for sun loving Brits.
The resort even has its own area known as “Little England” where at certain times of the year UK tourists occupy nearly 50 per cent of all hotel beds.
Fede Fuster, head of local hotel association HOSBEC, said last week’s protests could not be ignored and that business leaders had to engage with the demonstrators’ concerns.
“This is serious, it should worry us and occupy our minds,” he said.
“The delicate balance between tourists and residents that we have been able to maintain for decades has been broken.”
Fuster, though, argued that hoteliers were not to blame and that the explosion in holiday rental apartments marketed through the internet was the real cause of the problem.
“In the last 15 years, this type of accommodation has grown from 4,000 beds to more than 400,000 throughout Spain, far outstripping the supply of regulated accommodation,” he said.
“What used to be residential land is now being hotelised for the benefit of a few who, moreover, operate with the most absolute impunity.
“And those who are suffering the consequences are our neighbours, our employees, our families, and all of us who compete fairly.”
Organisers of the Canary Islands protests said mass tourism did not bring benefits to the majority of locals and was pricing people out of the rental and property market.
Lydia Morales told Express.co.uk her wages as a teacher were barely enough to help her pay her rent.
“The benefits of tourism are only felt by a small number of people. Even as a teacher I struggle to afford rent because it is too expensive,” she said.
She added: “The priority of the politicians is still creating more construction of towers for tourism complexes.
“The priorities of the citizens of the country are left behind, we don’t have a hospital in the south of the island the infrastructure is collapsing because there is so much traffic.”
