Livin’ la vida loca: the ‘guiri’ phenomenon and mass tourism in Spain

By Inês Goes-Marlière

Illustration by Anna Webb

Every year, thousands of keen Brits fly off to Spain for fortnights of fun, sun and sangria. For many British tourists, these holidays abroad are a chance to unwind and temporarily flee the temperamental summer weather of the British Isles. 

Spain has been the most popular destination for Brits in search of this escapism for the last decade, with 4.23 million British people visiting the country in 2021, according to data from Statista - and this figure is predicted to continue rising. 

In addition to the country’s appeal for holidaymakers, more than 300,000 Britons live permanently in Spain, half of them over retirement age. The country has a sustained appeal for Brits, from a place in which to holiday to one in which to retire.

Its long-standing popularity is in part due to it being a cheaper destination than other well-known sunny spots abroad, such as France or Italy. turning the country into a hub for Brits in search of an affordable yet idyllic destination abroad. 

However, many Spaniards are unhappy with this annual influx of British tourists, or guiris; a pejorative, colloquial term used to refer to Northern European tourists (coming mainly from Germany and the U.K.). Guiris are believed to show a chronic indifference to the country beyond its offerings of playa and paella, uninterested in visiting the towns they stay in, and instead favouring spending their days in all-inclusive resorts or beach clubs that offer a reassuring plethora of English breakfast options. The term is also used for British residents who have lived in Spain for several years and who remain uninvolved in the local culture, a phenomenon that has been widely recorded even in the British press: a 2011 article from the Guardian is entitled ‘Most Brits in Spain say no gracias to integration’.

This growing sense of annoyance towards ‘guiris’ has led the disruptive behaviour of drunk British tourists to become somewhat of a national joke in Spain. Publicised instances of drunk vandalism or ‘balconing’ (the act of drunkenly jumping off hotel balconies, often resulting in injury and even death) have given rise to the Spanish term turismo de borrachera, literally translating to ‘boozy tourism’. 

The stereotyped guiri character has also become a popular topic in Spanish media. A 2015 video released by the Spanish Youtuber FortFast WTF, entitled ‘Extranjeros en España’ (Foreigners in Spain) has over two million views. In the short video, the Youtuber interviews young, drunk British tourists about their sexual exploits and binge drinking at the Benicàssim music festival.

The framing used by FortFast intentionally presents the tourists’ behaviour as ridiculous and shows the extent to which the ‘guiri’ stereotype (sunburned, drunk and often wearing socks and sandals) is mocked in Spain. It also reveals a wider interest among Spanish audiences in media that showcases the most extreme displays of antisocial behaviour by tourists.

In one of the more topical parts of the video, a couple of interviewees admit that ‘they (tourists) drink too much’ and that people should remember that this is ‘where they (locals) live’. However, others defend the behaviour of the ‘guiris’. ‘Why wouldn’t you (they) go crazy?’ they ask, and maintain that ‘We spent money to come on holiday here’; they should therefore be permitted to ‘do all sorts of stuff’ to ‘have an awesome time’.

These comments mirror the ways in which the wider Spanish public view these tourists’ behaviour: British tourists who come to act out their wildest fantasies and live ‘la vida loca’, then forget about the impacts of their actions on the local community as soon as they board their return flight home.

Source: Twitter

One Twitter user shared her frustrations about ‘all of Barcelona’ being constantly polluted with ‘tins of beer’ and ‘rubbish’ because of the mess guiris generate. According to her, guiris are responsible for turning Barcelona into a ‘parque temático’ (a theme park). These comments reflect those of the Mayor of Barcelona herself, Ada Colau, who has said that the city’s most emblematic areas are in danger of becoming one ‘cheap souvenir shop’.

More systemic factors have also fuelled this fatigue in Spain, including the ongoing cost-of-living and rent crisis in Spain, leading centres of cities like Barcelona to become unaffordable for locals. This rent crisis has been exacerbated by companies like Airbnb, reliant on the demand created by mass tourism, which have converted many housing areas in Barcelona into full time tourist accommodation: Barcelona is named Airbnb’s most profitable city by Gfluence.

For many Spaniards, the crowds of stereotypically sunburned ‘guiris’, thirstily downing pint after pint, have become symbols of the wider problems of mass tourism. For this reason, the figure of the guiri has become politically charged as an embodiment of the inequality and damage brought about by the tourism industry in Spain, which is only increasing. It looks like the guiri might continue to be an infamous figure in the Spanish media, town halls and bars for years to come.