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Guiri ([ˈɡiɾi]) is a colloquial Spanish name used in Spain applied to foreign tourists, particularly from prosperous countries in northern Europe or the Anglo-Saxon sphere. They are strongly associated with beach tourism and commonly stereotyped as blonde with pale skin. Besides Spain, it is also used in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar to refer to non-Gibraltarian Britons who visit or reside on the territory.
Definition
The term guiri is street slang used to describe what is considered to be the stereotypical tourist or foreigner from European countries to the northeast of Spain and the Anglo-Saxon sphere.
Another local use today of the term guiri started in late 1990s in the city of Reus, Spain, started from the late 1990s when the city of Tarragona declined and the shift in importance for business and commerce turned to the expanding area of Reus. The importance of Reus and the use of the term guiri for those living in Tarragona was further altered in perception after the battle over the high speed train AVE station in the province of Tarragona. Both cities campaigned heavily for the station to be in the limits of their cities, Reus being the favorite, due to the expansion of the Reus Airport. But at the last moment the "guiris" of Tarragona surprised all parties concerned and won the right to place the station in Camp de Tarragona north of the province. The location is a 21.3 km drive to Reus, 11.2 km drive to Tarragona and 13.5 km to Reus Airport. This compromise of placing the AVE station literally in the countryside away from all towns and cities in the region, has led to the station having little or no visitors. The expression "només un guiri pensaria així", which translates to "only a guiri would think that way", was continuously used as a form of protest against the supposed madness of the idea.
The use of the term "guiri" by the Spanish people has become widely accepted as a descriptive term for foreigner or outsider.