‘Tourists go away’: Graffiti appears in Granada telling visitors that they’re not wanted


‘Tourists go away’: Graffiti appears in the Spanish city of Granada telling visitors that they’re not wanted

  • Granada was declared a World Heritage Site in 1984 due to its Moorish past 
  • According to local media, over 27,000 visitors come to Granada every day 
  • Police suspect that an organised movement is behind the anti-tourism graffiti 

Tourists jetting off to a Spanish holiday hotspot are being told to ‘go away’ by locals – who are writing it on walls to get their message across.

Graffiti saying ‘tourists go away’ and ‘flamenco is not a show’ has appeared on walls in Albaicin in the city of Granada in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia.

Other daubing saying ‘tourists won’t buy up Granada’ and ‘tourists, Granada is not a postcard’ were also spotted in the picturesque district, declared a World Heritage Site in 1984 due to its Medieval Moorish past dating back to the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada.

Graffiti saying ‘tourists go away’ has appeared on walls in Albaicin in the city of Granada in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia

An American tourist said: 'It is a shame the city is being spoiled like this'

An American tourist said: ‘It is a shame the city is being spoiled like this’

A spokesperson for the neighbourhood association Bajo Albaicin told local media that an increasing number of messages, predominantly written in English, have appeared over the past two weeks.

The association has some sympathy for the underlying message about overtourism, but said: ‘If you want to defend Albaicin, you cannot do anything worse than spray graffiti.’

An American tourist interviewed by local media said: ‘It is a shame the city is being spoiled like this. We came here 30 years ago and it has changed a lot, but it is still beautiful.’

According to local media, over 27,000 visitors come to Granada every day and the area is reliant on tourism.

Anger: This piece of graffiti declares that 'flamenco is not a show'

Anger: This piece of graffiti declares that ‘flamenco is not a show’

Granada, pictured, was declared a World Heritage Site in 1984 due to its Moorish past

Granada, pictured, was declared a World Heritage Site in 1984 due to its Moorish past

However, residents often complain of rising costs and say that mass tourism damages the local way of life.

The police suspect that an organised movement is behind the increase in anti-tourism graffiti, but said that no one has reported being accosted or insulted yet, according to local media.

Reports also said that one suspect has been identified from the CCTV cameras in the area even though he was masked and ‘knew what he was doing’.

No arrests have been made yet and the investigation is ongoing.