THOUSANDS IN  MÁLAGA PROTEST AGAINST MASS TOURISM

MADRID, June 30 (Bernama-dpa) -- Thousands of people in the Spanish city of Málaga turned out to protest against mass tourism on Saturday, angered at high rents and housing shortages, reported German news agency (dpa).. 

They marched in the centre of the southern city, many carrying signs saying, "Málaga is not for sale" and "This is not tourism, this is an invasion."

Some 25,000 people took part in the rally, the organisers said, though El País newspaper reported 15,000 attended.

The city is the latest in Spain to see such protests after similar demonstrations against the excesses of tourism were held in other places popular among holidaymakers including Mallorca, Barcelona and the Canary Islands.

The rally in Málaga was one of the largest the city has seen in recent times, several Spanish media reports said. 

The protest was called by a tenants' association, Sindicato de Inquilinos e Inquilinas, which said the ever-increasing number of visitors and holiday flats are the reason for the city's housing shortage and other problems. 

"The city is suffering, the resentment is great. Above all, the housing problem had to be put on the table," the organisers' spokesman, Curro Machuca, said, according to El País.

Málaga has more than 12,000 legally registered holiday homes, more than any other Spanish city besides Madrid and Barcelona. In addition, many private holiday homes in Málaga and elsewhere are operated illegally. 

"The situation is untenable. It's impossible to buy a house," demonstrator María Franco told El País. 

Engineer Sonia Raya told the newspaper that she had recently viewed a windowless garage in Málaga that was being offered as a flat for a monthly rent of €600 ($642).

-- BERNAMA-dpa