For British tourists and holiday makers, the destination of choice has long been Spain, particularly the cities and regions along the Mediterranean. Given the dreary, cold weather in the United Kingdom for a large portion of the year, taking a break in Spain seems rather appealing. Unfortunately, the locals aren't so happy about it. Over tourism in Spain has been causing havoc amongst residents. This has led to protests as well as increased regulations and rules impacting tourists.
It's important to keep in mind that the issue of Spain's over tourism isn't just about British travelers. People from around the world flock to Spain for a variety of reasons. That includes an incredible climate, insane food scene, and mind-boggling history around every corner. At the same time, it's impossible to ignore the fact that over 17 million tourists from the UK head to Spain every year, the largest number of foreign visitors to the country by far.
As such, it might be a little hard for Brits to not take the negative Spanish sentiments towards tourists a little personally. While UK tourism to Spain shows no substantial signs of slowing down now, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia may already be reaping the benefits of changing travel preferences. In 2023, the United Kingdom was the one of Europe's leadings sources of inbound tourists in Saudi Arabia. That is a trend that seems to be catching on.
Saudi's tourism marketing campaign has been increasingly aggressive post-pandemic, leading to increased growth in the sector. It's not hard to understand why given the variety of experiences that can be found there. It's unlikely that the Brits will ever completely abandon Spain as their preferred travel destination. At the same time, it won't be surprising to see those same tourism numbers to Spain decrease as numbers to Saudi increase.