Responsible tourism in Spain

Tom Powers, from our supplier Pura Aventura, explains more:
“The vast oversupply of housing will leave Spain in a hole for generations. In the UK, the recovery is fuelled in part by house price rises, due to the lack of housing. That cannot happen in Spain – there are too many houses. So there’s a massively educated population and they’re all leaving; they’re all going to South America, or northern Europe. Spanish dentists are queuing up for minimum wage kitchen porter jobs in London. That’s the real tragedy.“

Andrew Appleyard, from our supplier Exodus:
“It is incredibly important to keep supporting lesser-known areas like the Picos, Catalonia, Burgos and the Sierra Nevada where there are not many forms of employment. For a walking vacation, so many people flock to the Camino de Santiago – but employment in that area is already good. The lesser known areas are losing all their young people to the cities; tourism is an important part of keeping those communities together. But you need to provide employment for more than four or five months of the year to stop people leaving – it’s very important to those rural economies. People always focus development on the third world – but there’s huge unemployment in Spain and Italy – even in Europe you can make a big difference.”

Throughout the whole of the Mediterranean, an incredible 60 percent of sewage goes into the sea untreated – and tourism plays a large part in this, as large numbers of people flock to small areas for just a few weeks each year. Spain is – literally – trying to clean up its act, and now has 419 blue flag beaches which promise clean waters, for swimmers – and for marine life.

What you can do
If you are staying in or visiting a coastal area, be sure to check that the beach has a blue flag. This not only ensures clean water for swimming, but also demonstrates your support for local efforts to treat sewage.

Bullfighting is still a popular attraction across much of Spain, particularly in Andalucia and Madrid. Northern Spain prefers bull runs, with the most famous – San Fermin – taking place in Pamplona. Catalonia recently banned bullfighting, but the ban was overturned in 2016, and bull running also still takes place. At Responsible Travel, we don’t support the idea of killing animals for sport – and anyone taking part in the bull runs is also putting themselves at risk of injury or worse. It is, undeniably, a huge part of Spain’s culture and national identity – but if you want to know more, we’d recommend reading Ernest Hemingway’s classic 1926 account of San Fermin in The Sun Also Rises. At Responsible Travel, we do not support keeping whales or dolphins in captivity. Spain has several dolphinaria with performing dolphins, sea lions, and even orcas. For more information on our stance, and on where to see these marine mammals in the wild, take a look at our Dolphin watching guide and our Whale watching guide. Beachwear should be restricted to the beach! Not only is it culturally inappropriate in many coastal towns for men to be topless or for women to wear bikinis, it is also illegal in some regions and fines can be imposed – even on the promenade. Regionalism is strong in Spain, particularly the Basque Country, Valencia and Catalonia – the latter is fighting for an independence referendum. Each of these regions has its own language and unique cultural traditions. Not lumping them all together as “Spain” is much appreciated – as is learning a few words of the local language, even if it is just “good morning” and “thank you!” In some areas, including the Picos de Europa, quad and motor bikes are becoming increasingly popular. As well as causing pollution, damaging vegetation and disturbing wildlife, they are noisy and smelly for other visitors. People go to the wilderness for the peace and tranquility – noisy, unnecessary vehicles are the antithesis of this. The same goes for jet skis on the coast. Familiarise yourself with the rules for each park or protected area. You may be expected to stick to the main trails, wild camping may not be allowed at all or only following certain guidelines, and bathing in rivers or lakes is not always permitted. These rules are there to preserve the biodiversity and the natural beauty – please obey them!