Malaga city council pleads for respect for Atarazanas market's work flow from tourists

Tourism

Malaga city council pleads for respect for Atarazanas market's work flow from tourists

The city council has put up signs asking tourists not to block pedestrian traffic and not to take photos and videos without the permission of stallholders

Añádenos en Google A worker at the Atarazanas market in Malaga hanging his products next to one of the city council's signs. (Salvador Salas)

Ignacio Lillo

04/06/2026 a las 15:07h.

The massive tourist attraction that the Atarazanas central market in Malaga has become is causing problems for both vendors and customers.

On top of all the locals who purchase fruit, vegetables and fresh meat and fish from the market, there are numerous tourists who visit its restaurants and bars on a daily basis. Some of them enter only to look around, precisely because of the market's powerful draw.

This has led to significant overcrowding in the market aisles and numerous complaints from vendors and customers, who have requested that Malaga city council take measures to alleviate the problem.

Related story

• Heritage

  • Disaster narrowly averted after heat cracks huge stained glass window at iconic Malaga market

  SUR

Now, the city council has put up signs at various points throughout the market with the aim of improving the flow of visitors and the coexistence with commercial activity.

"This measure is adopted at the express request of the market stallholders, who have expressed the need to take measures to facilitate circulation and avoid possible congestion of pedestrian traffic through the aisles of the premises," the city council said.

The signs, written in Spanish and English, include three recommendations and two explicit bans.

They ask tourists not to interrupt sales activity; to move around without blocking aisles or exits (due to the large number of people who stop in the middle to take photos and videos); and to be respectful to vendors and customers.

There is an explicit warning not to touch the displayed products and not to take photos or videos without the stall owners' permission. More and more vendors are complaining that visitors visit the market only to take photos, hardly spending any money.

The city council reminds everyone that the Atarazanas market is a working environment, so visitors must respect the activity and avoid interfering with the work of vendors. Finally, the signs thank visitors and customers for their cooperation in maintaining a harmonious environment.