Harry Poulton regularly shares his travel tips and advice about the Spanish destination with his 49,000 followers on TikTok. He has issued a warning to those visiting the city
A Brit living in Benidorm has warned tourists to avoid one ‘dangerous’ area in the party city.
Harry Poulton regularly shares his travel tips and advice about the Spanish destination with his 49,000 followers on TikTok. He recently revealed that Brits visiting the holiday spot are being fined up to €100 (£86) for one bizarre reason: building sandcastles on the beach.
Now, in a recent clip racking up 21,000 views and hundreds of likes, he’s urging those jetting off to Benidorm to avoid this particularly “dangerous” area – or risk losing your belongings. It comes after a man took on the city’s ‘toughest bar crawl’.
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The content creator begins: “If you’re coming to Benidorm, this area behind me you need to be very careful.” He claims pickpockets are rife near the Old Town, specifically on the roundabout.
Harry said: “This is where you’ve got to be a little bit careful at the moment. A few people have told me recently they have been pickpocketed around this area. So, make sure to be a little bit vigilant. Have a bag, a handbag, a man bag.
“Honestly, the amount of people I see at the moment walking around Benidorm with their phones half out their pockets, with cash hanging out their pockets – it’s crazy. And unfortunately, when there’s tourists, there’s pickpockets.”
The 24-year-old, from Brighton, hopes his warning will not put people off visiting Benidorm, especially as theft crimes happen in many destinations.
He added: “Make sure you’re a little bit cautious around this area, especially late at night.”
While Benidorm is not an overly dangerous place for holidaymakers, and the vast majority of visitors will enjoy breaks without any hitches, there is a special service in place for those who do get into trouble.
The Foreign Tourist Assistance Services (SATE) is a new service offered by the City Council and Hosbec, the local Hotels Association. It provides personalised assistance to tourists who have been the victim of crime, lost property or their passports, or anything similar they might need assistance with.
The staff in charge includes a police officer and translators who will help you to:
• Report a crime
• Cancel credit cards and other official documents
• Get in touch with embassies and consulates
• Get in touch with family members/locate them
• Report lost property
• Psychological assistance when necessary
• Tourist information
You can contact them by phone at 965 56 36 75 or by email at [email protected].
Benidorm, famed for its bustling, party, atmosphere and towering skyscrapers is a seaside resort that sits on the eastern coast of Spain and is part of Valencia region’s Costa Blanca. In 2023, nearly one million British tourists flocked to the area for their dose of sun and sea, and on the whole, Brits are the second largest number of visitors to the resort – just behind domestic Spanish tourists.