09 April 2024 , 14:55
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Millions of Brits book Spain holidays every year, but from boozy antics to overcrowding, they're not always welcomed by locals - in fact, in recent years new tourist rules have been introduced in a bid to crackdown on unruly behaviour.
Now, it turns out that Spanish locals have been using a nickname for tourists for years to talk about annoying Brits, and it's not complimentary. UK visitors may have heard Spanish locals talking about 'guiri'. Pronounced ‘guee-ree’, the term is typically aimed at or used to describe holidaymakers who enjoy letting their hair down and picking up a glass or two of alcohol.
Some say that a 'guiri' is derived from a term describing the Basque word of 'giri', which means ‘blonde’ or ‘fair-skinned', but others argue that the origins go back further than that and is a Hindi word used by the Indian diaspora to describe white people. Today, in the context of Spain, 'guiri' typically refers to a white person who is paler than most Spaniards.
You may hear residents talking about 'guiri' (AFP via Getty Images)Leah Pattem, a journalist who spends a lot of time in Spain, previously argued that the term is offensive. "A guiri is also categorised as naïve and/or ignorant, trapped in their own culture due to refusal or inability to integrate," she wrote. "They will dress wrong, be sunburnt and generally look hot and bothered.
"Most Spaniards will argue that the word guiri is not offensive, but it undeniably makes sweeping assumptions about a person based on either their appearance, their nationality, or their behaviour."
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In recent months, tensions have been rising around the impact of tourism, especially in the Canary Islands where mass protests are planned in late April across Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and La Palma.
In Palm-Mar, a town in Tenerife, residents and visitors woke up to messages last month graffitied on walls which included urging tourists to 'go home' and adding that 'my misery, your paradise'.
Leaders on the island have already called for calm amidst locals' anger as the mass protests were first announced. However, organisers say they're not demonstrating against tourism or tourists specifically, but rather against the lack of measures to protect the islands from the impact of the industry and the millions of visitors that flood them every year.
Residents have also urged for a crackdown including demanding a tourism tax and stricter restrictions. There have been fears that the popular islands are on the brink of collapse as they struggle to cope with tourism numbers.
Earlier this month the president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, urged protesters to "be responsible in this action", as UK tourists bring in millions every spring and summer. He called for "common sense", adding that tourism was one of the "main source of employment and wealth" across the Canaries.
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