I moved to a beautiful Spanish hotspot - I nearly sold up over too many tourists

For those dreaming of a retirement by the sea, with 320 days of sunshine a year and mild temperatures even in winter, the Costa del Sol seems to be the perfect option. That was certainly the case for Swedish expat Eva, who longed for warmer weather than in her native country.

She first thought about moving to Portugal, but then decided on Spain. She considered San Sebastian in northern Spain until a friend suggested she was "crazy" because it rained as much there as in Sweden. Eventually, she settled on the Malaga province and bought an apartment in Mijas, right next to the beach. However, her dream quickly turned into a nightmare and the Swedish expat seriously thought about selling up because there were too many tourists in her new home.

Speaking on COPE Radio's La Linterna programme, Eva said: "I was thinking about selling my apartment a year, year and a half ago because I was a little frustrated by how Malaga is changing with tourism, since there are many more people now, many more tourists.

"Now there is too much tourism. I'm a tourist too, but I felt like I couldn't stand it anymore."

Eva said that the COVID-19 pandemic was a major trigger for the tourism boom, noting that many properties being converted into tourist apartments and hotels.

In 2024, Malaga province set a new record with 14 million overnight stays in the first half of the year, fueled by a 13.4% increase in international tourist bookings, according to Simply Shuttles.

However, she admitted that her new quality of life, coupled with the mild climate, has made her rethink leaving Malaga.

"I feel that I had a life here, I have many Spanish friends and, therefore, leaving was a bad idea," she said.

She added that many Swedish residents look to warmer European countries when they hit retirement age: "Swedes, when we turn 60 or 65, many want to be able to leave Sweden because of the cold and because of the darkness".

In 2022, some 104,000 Swedish nationals were living in Spain, making it the second-highest country behind the US, with 179,000 people.