LANZAROTE – Now that tourists have a good eye on Spain again after the pandemic, the double relationship that Spanish politicians have with tourists is apparent. They diligently seek a balance between attracting wealthier tourists and reducing the seasonal economy.
The Spanish holiday island of Lanzarote has indicated that it wants to be less dependent on British tourists. Instead, it wants to focus more on German tourists. However, this statement was not well received by the British. Recently, the president of the island government in Lanzarote, María Dolores Corujo Berriel, focused on tourists from the UK. She explained that the island wants to “reduce its dependence on British tourism” in favour of German holidaymakers. They would “spend more when they are here”.
Related post: Furious Brits angry about Lanzarote saturation statements
Germans have a better reputation
The British do not always have a good reputation abroad. That’s because some of them confirm the stereotype of being drunk, loud and reckless. The British newspaper Daily Mail doesn’t like that the British’s traditional rivals are doing so well in terms of reputation.
The tabloid writes about this: “President Dolores’ view of Germans who are willing to spend money and show responsible behaviour does not quite correspond to reality”. While the British abroad are “understandably ridiculed for their antics on the beaches of mainland Spain and the islands, they are not the only ones who sometimes let themselves go a little too much.
Germans also let themselves go sometimes
The newspaper happily lists the escapades of German tourists on Spanish holiday islands. One such escapade mentioned, was the case of the 13 Cone brother. They allegedly threw cigarette butts from their hotel balcony down onto a bar in Mallorca causing it to catch fire. In addition, two people were arrested on the same island in 2016 for allegedly stealing 10 beach towels and assaulting an employee of a small shop before fleeing.
The newspaper explains the word “exile”
The newspaper also writes that there is sufficient photographic evidence that the Germans are anything but “perfect tourists”. Footage from Mallorca shows a predominantly German-speaking audience cheering for German singer Mia Julia as she performs “topless” at the Oberbayern discotheque.
“Spanish props can be seen outside in lederhosen and with the blue and white colours of the Bavarian flag to lure German tourists to the nightclub of Upper Bavaria,” the newspaper said. The nightclub is located on the so-called Ballermann part of the island. “Ballern” is the German word for heavy drinking, Daily Mail explains to readers. Other images show German visitors drinking from buckets, “a trend local businesses have been happy to support for at least a decade.”
Hostility to British
The UK warns tourists about the hostile climate towards Brits on islands such as Lanzarote and Mallorca. Moreover, some of the major tabloids accuse the Spanish authorities of these islands of pursuing an “anti-British” policy. “It seems that there is an orchestrated media strategy to promote cheaper destinations such as Egypt or Turkey”
Some of these major tabloids, such as the Daily Mail, The Mirror, The Sun and Daily Telegraph, have been issuing such warnings for weeks. They insist that the British tourist, key to the islands, is “attacked again,” Ultima Hora reports. In addition to referring to the increasingly hostile climate towards them, they also highlight the excessive rise in hotel prices.
This campaign is a response to the controversial statements made months ago by Lucía Escribano, the director of tourism on the island of Mallorca. She went very far, according to The Sun, by confirming that she was not interested in British tourists.
However, the British media are not only attacking the Balearic Islands. Lanzarote also has to pay for it following the statements of Dolores Corujo. She said she not only preferred German tourists but wanted to limit the arrival of British tourists to prevent saturation on the island in the high season.