TRAVEL WARNING AS SPANISH CITY WILL START CHARGING TOURISTS FOR POPULAR ATTRACTION

As many of us start to dream of Mediterranean getaways in the bleak British winter, one of Spain’s most popular tourist spots – in Seville – is cracking down on holidaymakers by charging for visits.

Millions of us will flock to Spain as we do every year, and while tourism can bring a much-needed injection to many local economies, an influx of people can also bring headaches for locals – causing problems such as noise and damage to ancient sites and beauty spots. 

So, Spain’s third most-visited city will soon introduce a fee for tourists to enter one of its most picturesque hotspots: the Plaza de Espana.

The Plaza is a sprawling palace-like complex, surrounded by a moat, visited by thousands of tourists every day.

However, access by one of its four bridges will soon come with a charge, though it’s yet to be announced how much this will be.

José Luis Sanz, the mayor of Seville, announced the fee on X (formerly Twitter), saying the money will go towards ensuring the safety of the Plaza and its conservation, according to The Times. 

The proposal was met with criticism from many, including María Jesús Montero, (the senior deputy prime minister) who posted on X: ‘Privatising public space cannot be the answer to the care and preservation of Seville’s Plaza de España, a cultural jewel that belongs to everyone’.

Residents of Seville also oppose the plan, instead suggesting that a city-wide tax would be better than charging tourists to enter just one place, which could negatively impact the Plaza’s profits. 

Many other tourist hotspots have already introduced charges, with Venice set to introduce the Venice Access Fee of €5 from April 25, to anyone visiting the city just for the day.

This is to protect the historic vista from damage by tourists, after narrowly avoiding being added to the UNESCO endangered site list last year.

In an effort to combat tourists going to ‘find themselves’, Bali has introduced a tax of 150,000 rupiah (£7.70 or US $10). Indonesian authorities say the tax will go towards protecting Bali’s beautiful culture and environment.

This comes after tourists were accused of disrespecting the ancient island, like the woman who was deported in April 2023 after posing nude next to a 700-year-old sacred tree at Bali’s Tabanan temple. 

We don’t yet know when Spain’s tourist fee will come into affect, or how much it’ll be, but stay tuned for more details.

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2024-02-29T12:05:47Z dg43tfdfdgfd