Las Ramblas in Barcelona is known as a prime pickpocket zone. (Photo: iris/Flickr)
Spain’s growing reputation as a tourist scam capital took another hit in a recent survey, in which it led Europe by a wide margin for most scams reported by British travelers.
Of the 2,000 Britons polled by money.co.uk who had traveled in the previous 12 months, 21.5 percent said they fell victim to some sort of crime in Spain – the next closest country was France at 14.8 percent, with Italy in third place at 10.2 percent.
What were the scams, exactly? The most common was overpriced taxi rides at 37 percent, followed by hidden tourist taxes at hotels, pickpocketing, pushy street vendors, and excess costs for car rentals.
Related: Beware: 7 Scams Every Traveler Needs to Know About
Statistics: money.co.uk
It’s not the first such report about Spain. In a similar money.co.uk survey last year that polled the European city with the most travel scams, Barcelona led the way, followed by Paris and Rome. The bustling Las Ramblas in Barcelona is considered a prime danger zone for pickpockets.
While it didn’t mention crime as the reason, Barcelona this year announced it would begin limiting tourist access in Las Ramblas, which has been swelling with visitors in recent years.
Related: 5 Hotel Scams That Could Ruin Your Next Vacation
France has had its own troubles with petty crime in recent years. In May, the Eiffel Tower was shut down for a day when workers protested aggressive pickpocketing around the landmark.
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