Overview

• This July, videos on TikTok and visitor accounts show deserted bars, restaurants and empty beach chairs in Benidorm, with some calling it a “ghost town.”
• Excursion sales have plunged by 20% this summer, prompting tour companies to give staff time off due to low demand.
• British holidaymakers, who numbered over 832,000 in 2023, have notably stayed away from the Costa Blanca resort this season.
• Visit Benidorm and local residents publicly reaffirm that tourists remain welcome and warn that fewer arrivals threaten jobs and livelihoods.
• Years of anti-tourism protests and tightened regulations on short-term rentals have helped create a climate that is deterring some visitors.