Castellón in August: The Tourist Who Leaves Early Over Overcrowding

Castellón in August: The Tourist Who Leaves Early Over Overcrowding

Going to the beach in August and complaining about crowds is a classic. But when the complainer decides to return early, the phenomenon deserves analysis. In Castellón, a tourist summed up what many feel: «you can’t stay here, I’m going back on Friday.» The complaint has sparked a debate on mass tourism in the Mediterranean, a problem that worsens every summer.

Mass tourism on the Mediterranean coast

Full supermarkets, beaches packed to the brim, and «warm» water that offers no relief are the portrait of high season on the Levantine coast. Those who have spent an August in Castellón know this: there is no space on the sand, and the sea turns into a salty, tepid soup with «stumbling blocks.» The sense of suffocation is so great that many decide to leave earlier than planned.

This phenomenon is not unique to Castellón. It repeats along the entire Mediterranean coast, from the Costa Brava to the Costa del Sol. The difference is that, in some areas, mass tourism has become a structural problem. In Benicasim, for example, it escapes the worst thanks to «there being hardly any roughnecks» according to some, but the suffocating heat compensates. In Oropesa, the situation is similar: beaches full of families with strollers, coolers, and umbrellas.

The mass tourist behavior

Some argue that the problem is not the number of people, but their behavior. The average tourist is not content with swimming or enjoying nature: they need paddleboards, inflatables, goggles, tennis rackets, fishing rods, and, of course, the mobile phone. They arrive at the beach with their entire camp and enter the water in a herd, like hippos soaking, without caring that the water is 30 degrees and offers no relief.

This scene repeats daily on the most touristy beaches. At eleven in the morning, when the sun is intense, the «specimens» start coming down, loaded like mules, with their little Izan and a cooler full of Mahou, cans of mussels, and 40 gadgets to entertain the kid while he changes a diaper full of sand. Sweaty as chickens, they apply sunscreen after a year without sun exposure, and then start shouting. It is a spectacle some describe as «an open-air psychiatric ward.»

The low-season alternative

Against this backdrop, more and more voices point to the low season as the only solution. September and October are the best months to be in the Mediterranean: the temperature is excellent, there is no overcrowding, the light is beautiful, and it is luxurious. The water, moreover, allows swimming until November, as the veterans point out. June is also a good option, although it is not yet hot enough for the brave.

The paradox is that many of those who complain about mass tourism in August are the same ones who contribute to it. «And why do you go?», someone asks sarcastically. The answer is that going to the beach in August is a hard-to-break tradition, even if the result is overcrowding. As one comment says, «cattle is cattle and always will be»: they go on vacation to be crowded, and even if you move away, they put themselves next to you.

Anecdotes and realities

The debate does not stay on the beach. In the Capicorb area, where hippies stay, they remember the 2024 murder of a Belgian woman, discovered thanks to her dog wandering alone on the beach. An anecdote unrelated to mass tourism, but adding a point of concern to the area. And in inland towns like Montanejos, the interior waters also fill up in August, although some prefer to take refuge in the rivers.

The underlying question is whether mass tourism is sustainable. Meanwhile, the tourist who leaves on Friday has found the solution: returning to the city, where streets are empty and air conditioning works. But the question remains: how long will the Mediterranean coast withstand this pressure?