As the war on tourists continues, British tourists in Spain could be forced to pay fines of £170 if they buy souvenirs from unlicensed sellers on beaches and streets.
Plainclothes police will patrol the streets of the Costa Blanca in southeastern Spain to impose sanctions on unsuspecting tourists.
The popular holiday destination is cracking down on illegal street vendors, known locally as ‘manteros’, because they typically display their wares on a blanket.
From fake ‘designer’ bags to knock-off watches, tourists who buy products from unlicensed ‘manteros’ will be immediately fined up to €200, which is equivalent to around £170.
The mayor of Torrevieja has called for more police officers over the summer to enforce the new rules.
A busy beach in Benidorm, part of the Costa Blanca in Spain
The mayor of Torrevieja has called for more police officers over the summer to enforce the crackdown on unlicensed vendors (File Image)
During the high season, the population of Torrevieja increases to more than 500,000 inhabitants, according to Mirror.
There have also been calls from the nearby southern Costa del Sol region for stricter sanctions against tourists who buy from traveling street vendors, known as “men miradores”.
They are known for selling imitation merchandise to beachgoers in Spain, often operating without a license.
Local shop owners in the coastal city of Benalmádena are believed to lose between 20 and 30 percent of their profits to these unlicensed sellers, according to the local Merchants and Entrepreneurs Association.
The move comes after a series of crackdowns on several Spanish islands as they battle overpopulation and huge tourism spikes.
The conservative Popular Party government unveiled new plans to achieve alcohol-free streets.
Drunk vacationers will not be able to drink on public roads in Magaluf.
Penalties for non-compliance with the ban on alcohol consumption in public will range between 500 and 1,500 euros (between £430 and £1,290).
These new measures had the full support of the mayor of Calvià, Juan Antonio Amengual, who stated that they will make the island a safer place for everyone to enjoy.
The new laws will go into effect at least until December 2027.
The mayor of Magaluf welcomes a series of measures that prevent drinking alcohol on the streets
A crackdown on overtourism has broken out on a number of Spanish islands which are facing serious overcrowding and huge spikes in the number of drunken tourists.
Drunk holidaymakers will not be able to drink on public roads in Magaluf
A view of Palma beach packed with tourists and locals in Mallorca
Last week, a Menorcan holiday town dubbed ‘Spanish Mykonos’ threatened to ban all tourists after previously telling them to only visit between 11am and 8pm so they could enjoy its breakfasts.
In Menorca, graffiti has also appeared on walls telling tourists to “go home”, while in Marbella last year tires were slashed from cars with British plates.
Ibiza also became the latest Spanish tourist destination to join the growing anti-tourism protests that have broken out across the country.
‘We are only against the massification of the type of tourism that our island attracts.
“The island is saturated, especially with illegal rentals, and our 572 square kilometers cannot take any more,” he added.
Similar protests have been seen in other popular destinations.
Furious Tenerife locals went on hunger strike in an effort to express their anger.
On April 20, thousands of protesters took to the streets of the Canary Islands to protest against the problems caused by mass tourism and demand their politicians take action.
The words “Go Home Tourist” were scrawled in English on a wall beneath a property development sign in Nou Levante, Mallorca.
Graffiti is seen that says ‘My misery, your paradise’ in the Balearic Islands
Protesters hold a banner that says “Mallorca is not for sale” during a protest against the massification of tourism in Mallorca
A woman shouts next to a banner with the word ‘tourism’ during an anti-tourism demonstration in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
The Mallorcan hotel director, Joan Pla, recently warned that the massive protests against tourism in the Canary Islands could be repeated in the Balearic Islands.
He stated that the problem is the number of houses built for local residents that are bought by foreigners as holiday properties.
And he complained that islands like Mallorca, where he lives, had to deal with the influx of too many people at certain times of the year.