A Malagueño claims locals are ‘fed up’ as tourism bosses continue to exploit new areas of the city after ‘ruining’ the centre.

Juan Manuel Rojas Cuenca fumed to his 240,000 TikTok followers over a €13.4million plan to attract tourists to El Palo.

The traditional fishing neighbourhood lies to east of Malaga city, and is seen as a gem among locals due to its unspoilt nature and authentic feel.

‘They want to bring tourists to a place that isn’t yet COMPLETELY saturated,’ Cuena said in a video shared online.

‘This is to decongest the city centre and send tourists to other zones, now a barrio that is a fishing village where people have lived their whole lives… really logical!

‘Now that they’re done with the whole coast, up to Torremolinos and Malaga, they want to go the other side of the coast, because they have to exploit everything, of course.’

He adds: ‘What annoys me most about this is that they’re going to improve the beach promenade to attract more tourists, not because they want to improve the lives of the people living in El Palo.

‘It’s such a shame everything that they are doing to Malaga.

‘And to the people who say ‘Malaga lives off tourism’, what Malaga is going to live off tourism if there are no more Malagueños living here?!

‘If you’re pushing them out, what Malaga will be left? The British Malaga? The German Malaga? The Italian Malaga?

‘Are you not conscious of the fact that they are erasing all our history, all our culture? Are you not seeing it?

‘And it’s not that there are no tourists in El Palo, you only have to take a walk to see tourists, I mean, the guiris are as sunburnt as prawns.

‘But they want to bring even more, and instead of fixing up the beach walk for locals, they’re doing it for the Germans and Italians and I don’t understand.

‘All this is going to do is send house prices soaring again and kick out Malaga locals from their city… can you just stop?…

‘El Palo is one of the best things we have in Malaga, it has tradition, it has history and they’re going to ruin it, they will fill it with Italian restaurants serving spaghetti carbonara…

‘Can you explain to me why it’s necessary to convert a neighbourhood into a circus or tourist theme park?’

The debate in El Palo reflects a wider tension playing out across Spain, where cities from Barcelona to Palma de Mallorca have seen growing backlash against mass tourism in recent years.

Rising rents, the spread of short-term holiday lets, and the gradual loss of traditional neighbourhood identity have pushed many locals to speak out, with protests becoming increasingly common.

In Malaga itself, property prices have surged over the past decade, fuelled in part by foreign demand and tourism-driven investment.

While local authorities argue that expanding tourism into new areas can ease pressure on the historic centre and bring economic benefits, critics say it risks repeating the same pattern of displacement and cultural dilution that residents like Rojas Cuenca fear.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.