A British man living in Benidorm has revealed many tourists are being "priced out" of the party city and instead opting to visit a nearby "cheaper" alternative instead.
Harry Poulton, who regularly shares his travel tips about the Spanish hotspot via TikTok, claimed in a recent video that Benidorm may in fact be "finished," having witnessed its "emptiness" this summer. In a recent clip, which has been viewed more than 125,000 times, he put it down to the possibility that the city is becoming too expenisve.
"[Is] Benidorm finished? Where is everybody? It’s the middle of July, and it’s absolutely dead," he declared, according to Luxury Travel Daily.
Harry, 24, continued: "Normally at this time of year, Benidorm’s mentality – it’s busy, there are people absolutely everywhere. I’ve just been walking down the beach; no one.
"I’ve been down the Benidorm strip; hardly anyone there. Bars [aren’t] even that busy – what’s going on? Is everyone going to Tenerife now? I’ve only been away a week."
Harry, who is from Brighton originally, noted he "can’t believe" how quiet it is, adding that even at the peak time of around 7 pm, the streets are still bare.
It prompted scores of TikTok users to offer their theories in response. "Have to say hotels are getting more and more expensive. Crazy prices," one person said.
Another added: "Everyone is going to Salou, Spain." A third added: "It’s got too expensive."
A fourth person alleged: "People are fed up with being robbed, mate [sic]." Whilst a fifth Tiktok user shared: "Getting too expensive. Used to be my go-to holiday. However, I cannot afford Benidorm this year. Other Spanish places half the price."
In a second clip, meanwhile, Harry again shared his dismay at the cost of the town. "Benidorm is getting expensive," the content creator declared. "Is it just me that feels this way? Especially the accommodation."
He added: "Everything this year has gone so much more than last year. I’m not the only one that feels this way."
After one of his followers told him they had shelled out almost £1,000 for a single room for a week, Harry responded: "Ouch, that’s got to hurt. Don’t get me wrong – eating out, drinking, all those sorts of things are still very reasonable, especially price-wise compared to the UK.
"Everything has got really expensive; not just in Benidorm, but in general."
He closed, pondering: "Is Benidorm falling off? Or is it just the world in general? Mad, really – what are holidays? What’s a cheap holiday now?"