A Brit living in Benidorm has revealed that he believes English people are “taking over” the spanish party city – and is urging them to stop moving there.
Harry Poulton, who regularly shares his travel tips and advice about the Costa Blanca hotspot with his 50,000 followers on TikTok (@harrytokky), claims British culture is becoming increasingly instilled in the Alicante region.
“I think Brits should stop moving out to Spain – or Benidorm for that matter,” he said. “I know this is really controversial, but there are a few reasons I’ve spotted since moving here.”
Harry elaborated: “Since Brexit, loads has changed. Getting paperwork and visas is really difficult and expensive and the cost of living here is not as expensive as the UK, but it is more than people think. Especially if you’re living on a Spanish salary.”
According to HousingAnywhere, the average yearly income in Spain is €27,000 – or £23,000 – while in the UK, it’s £37,430 states the Office for National Statistics.
Harry, 24, added: “The price of things here can be very expensive. Hopefully in the future things will change, especially the housing crisis. Finding somewhere to live is another issue in itself.”
But the main reason he wants to see less Brits in Benidorm? The culture.
“I think a lot of the original Spanish culture is getting diluted with so many Brits moving over,” he admitted. “They keep trying to recreate a mini UK here with fry ups and cheap beer on every corner.
“It’s hard to tell sometimes that you’re in a different country and there’s such a language barrier. So many Brits move over expecting to get by without knowing a word of Spanish.
“But that isn’t the case at all. Although, with the way things are going, English will soon be the first spoken language in Benidorm.”
Speaking in a more positive manner, however, Harry also revealed on TikTok the one thing he loves about living in Benidorm as a Brit.
“The weather,” he enthused. “You just can’t get it better anywhere than you do here in Spain.”
He went on to add that he has witnessed “the best of both worlds” in the form of warm summers and slightly cooler winters.
“Unlike back home where it’s generally cold all year round, rainy and cloudy skies,” Harry said.
“Ironically though it is cloudy here today (August 26), but it’s still nearly 30C and I’m out in my shorts. If it was cloudy like this back home, it’d be freezing cold, you’d be wearing a jumper and a jacket and it’d probably be raining.”
