Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

TOURISM

Spain’s Valencia to limit tour group numbers

Valencia's city council is intent on developing a more 'sustainable' tourist model that doesn't inconvenience locals.

Published: 11 April 2024 09:27 CEST
Spain's Valencia to limit tour group numbers
Tourists stand in the shade with their bicycles amid a heatwave in Valencia. Photo: JOSE JORDAN/AFP.

Valencia council and the city’s Association of Official Tourist Guides have signed an agreement to limit tourist groups to 25 people throughout the city and 20 in the ‘Ciutat Vella’ (old town) area of the city centre.

Tourism has increased markedly in the Mediterranean city in recent years. In the city centre, it is not uncommon to see groups of sixty or more tourists arrive together on a coach and move around the city in one group.

“We are committed to the consolidation of a sustainable tourism model, guaranteeing the profitability of businesses, improving employment figures, but always preserving the value of our natural and cultural resources and our Mediterranean lifestyle,” the city’s Councillor for Tourism, Innovation and Investment, Paula Llobet, said at the presentation of the agreement.

READ ALSO: Nine things you should never say to a Valencian person

In addition to capping tourist group numbers, the agreement also aims to ensure that tour guides working in the city can coordinate their routes and itineraries to avoid overlapping with another in the same places so that visitors can enjoy their tours without inconveniencing locals.

They will also choose the most suitable places around town to make stops and do their explanations, and find alternative routes to allow a smooth flow of visitors, locals, and traffic.

READ ALSO: Where in Spain to locals ‘hate’ tourists?

Tourists on guided tours will use individual headset systems to avoid excessive noise in keeping with a municipal noise ordinance prohibiting the use of megaphones and microphones.

In addition, the council will demand that guides working in Valencia have the necessary qualifications recognised by the Generalitat so that only accredited tour guides can work in the city.

The council will also monitor flows of people in the city through the deployment of sensors to record visitor levels at tourist attractions and provide guides with the data they need to optimise their routes and avoid crowds.

“This agreement seems to us a very useful tool because it focuses on the commitment to balanced development, the preservation of heritage and the quality of life of locals,” said Llobet.

Llobet also stressed that tourist guides are “the best ambassadors to ensure that visitors respect the rules, such as not sitting down to eat on the stairs of protected buildings.” The city council also hopes that tour guides can encourage local hospitality and promote sustainability.

The city council will also, through coordination with local police, try to prevent intrusiveness on daily life in the city through inspections.

READ ALSO: Barcelona to hand out €3,000 fines to tour guides with groups of more than 15

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

TOURISM

Why Americans don’t need to tip so much in Spain

You may be used to tipping a lot in the US, but if you're an American tourist or resident in Spain or perhaps if you plan to move here, this article could save you a few euros.

Published: 26 June 2024 17:24 CEST
Why Americans don't need to tip so much in Spain

In the US, it’s customary to tip between 15-25 percent, but in reality, anything below 20 percent is considered to be a bad tip and staff may be offended thinking they’ve given you bad service if they receive less.

This will of course vary according to the state and the establishment. 

As an American, you’ll know that the main reason for this is because hospitality staff are often paid low wages and they rely on tips to top up their salary and make enough to live on. 

Americans on vacation or living in Spain, often wrongly assume that it’s a similar situation here, and because they are used to tipping up to 25 percent, they understandably leave a big propina – the Spanish word for tip.

READ ALSO: What are the rules on tipping in Spain?

But the working conditions and salaries are very different in Spain, so such a large percentage isn’t deemed necessary.

In Spain, hospitality staff are paid at least minimum wage which is €1,134 across 14 payments a year, and many times above this amount too, depending on the type of establishment they work in.

They do not rely on tips in order to make a living, and therefore tips are not necessarily expected, but welcomed.

The Spanish hospitality union reminds customers that it is not mandatory to leave a tip, adding that some consumers believe that this tip “replaces decent wages”.

This means in Spain it’s not actually customary to tip at all in certain situations.

If it’s a meal in a high-class restaurant, a 10 percent tip is typically given if the service is good. At standard restaurants, some people may leave their change or round up the bill if paying by card, but it’s not expected. And if it’s a bar or café, rarely any tip is given.

So for example, if your meal costs around €40, you may leave a small tip of €2-3, but it’s not calculated as an exact percentage.

READ ALSO: 13 things foreigners do that make Spaniards feel really awkward

Some may argue with this, however, saying that a tip should only be given if the food and the service are particularly good. If it it’s just average, they say that a tip shouldn’t be necessary at all. 

Not only do Americans not need to tip so much, but they could actually be creating a problem for locals and the industry as a whole, if they do.

Because of American tipping culture, some restaurants in Spain have begun asking between 5 and 10 percent in tips automatically, particularly in big cities like Madrid and Barcelona, or even adding smiley faces to bills with various percentages – 5 percent associated with a sad face and 20 with a happy one for example.

In an interview with Spanish news site El Mundo, the general secretary of Facua-Consumers in Action, Rubén Sánchez, believes this only tries to “create a feeling of guilt” for people who don’t want to leave anything behind.

He says, however, that asking for a tip in this way “is not an illegal act because it is not imposed”. He believes that asking for extra tips is “trying to take advantage” of the client so that, “somehow, they become the one who pays extra for a salary that is too low”.

Tips “cannot be a substitute for a decent salary”, he continues, not wanting Spain to become like the US.

On top of this, eating and drinking out is a very important part of life for Spaniards and if tipping of 20-25 percent is expected, many would simple no longer be able to afford to eat out.

The median salary in the country is €2,206, according to recent data from Spain’s National Institute of Statistics (INE). This pales in comparison to the average $6,228 Americans earn per month, according to the US Bureau of Labour and Statistics.

Yes, of course, the cost of living is cheaper in Spain because people earn less, but if you’re coming here as a tourist and creating a tipping culture, you’re also making it harder for locals to be able to afford to eat out in their own city.

What are your experiences of tipping as an American in Spain? Have you adjusted your tipping habits? Share your views with other readers in the comments section below.

SHOW COMMENTS