Guiri

Guiri is a local colloquial term used exclusively in Spain, not in Mexico or any other Spanish speaking countries, to refer to foreign tourists on package holidays on the Spanish Mediterranean coast from the mid-twentieth century. The stereotype of a guiri is a sunburned fair-haired and skinned English-speaking white person wearing shorts, socks, sandals, sunglasses and with a camera in full view. It is used to name foreign tourist in general, regardless of his/her ethnicity (For example Japanese tourists can be guiris too as well as African-Americans). The amalgam of wealthy, idle, and clueless is without a doubt the most common characteristic of a ‘guiri’.

It’s important to distinguish a guiri from an immigrant, or an expat. 'Guiri' is applied only for tourism reasons.

The word 'guiri' was included on the 'DRAE Diccionario de la Real Academia de la Lengua' for the first time in 1925 with the meaning of 'Carlist'.

More recently, different meanings are applied to the word 'guiri' on this Dictionary; the first meaning is a plant, the second meaning is an historic name for Carlists, the third meaning is foreign tourist, and the fourth meaning for the word 'guiri' is Police.

Considered by the 'Real Academia Española de la Lengua' as a standard and official word for 'foreign tourist' on the 'DRAE' we can not say it is slang.