Spanish tourist hotspot Malaga to ban horse-drawn carriages

M laga, Spain: A pair of tourists admire the shimmering Mediterranean from their horse drawn carriage on the seaside promenade in Spain s southern por...

Málaga, Spain: A pair of tourists admire the shimmering Mediterranean from their horse-drawn carriage on the seaside promenade in Spain's southern port of Malaga -- a postcard image whose days are numbered.

The city wants to ban horse-drawn carriages from its streets this year to protect the animals after years of criticism of the trade.

The decision to follow in the footsteps of other tourist hotspots such as Rome and Chicago dismayed visitors including Anastasia, a chef who had travelled from Britain.

"It's really nice, I was impressed -- seeing Malaga like this is completely different," said the 47-year-old as she dismounted from a carriage.

Fellow British tourist Robert agreed, expressing his wonder at his "amazing" trip with a "beautiful" horse.