The Spanish city of Malaga is taking a direct approach to addressing tourist behavior with a new campaign featuring eye-catching billboards that aim to educate visitors on appropriate conduct, CNN reports.
The four billboards, featuring the British flag and messages in English, address several common complaints from locals about tourist behavior. One sign, for example, reads:
“Dress completely. Both on the street and in public places always wear an upper garment for respect and hygiene.”
The campaign comes in response to growing frustration among locals with some tourist behavior. This summer, protests erupted in Malaga, highlighting concerns about overcrowding, gentrification, and the rising cost of housing linked to tourism.
Other billboards target specific issues like electric scooter use, littering, and noise levels. One reads: “Sidewalks are for pedestrians. If you use scooters or bicycles, do so in the spaces legally designated for this purpose, in compliance with municipal ordinances.” Another encourages visitors to “Keep the city clean. Use litter garbage cans, containers and other services. Be careful with monuments, historical heritage, gardens and public furniture.”
This is not the first time Malaga has taken steps to manage tourist behavior. Last year, the city announced fines of up to €750 for people seen in public places without clothes or wearing only underwear.
Malaga joins a growing number of Spanish cities and islands pushing back against the negative impacts of mass tourism. Barcelona, for instance, plans to ban apartment rentals to tourists by 2028 to combat soaring housing costs. Similar measures have been implemented in Ibiza and Mallorca, targeting party boats and public drinking.
