Brits have been heading to the Canary Islands in droves despite locals having warned they want tourists to stay away – and even taken to the streets to protest
Brits have ignored warnings from locals in Tenerife to stay away, and continued to flock to the largest of the Canary Islands for holidays.
The hotspot has long been a firm favourite with UK sun-seekers, not to mention it’s tipped as having Europe’s cheapest all-inclusive holidays.
However in recent months, tensions have been rising with some tourists woke up to graffiti telling them to ‘go home’. In April, around 50,000 angry residents took to the streets as part of mass protests across Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, with slogans including ‘The Canary Islands have a limit’. Clips of thousands of protestors chanting “si vivimos del turismo por qué no somos ricos?” (“If we are living from tourism then why are we not rich?”) were also shared on social media.
Meanwhile the island’s deputy mayor Carlos Tarife has begged Brits to go elsewhere for inclusive holidays, urging them to look at other destinations such as the Dominican Republic instead if they want a holiday where they stay in their hotels.
In an interview on a Tenerife radio station, Mr Tarife explained why he was against a temporary suspension of tourism – as some of the protesters had called for – and favoured those staying in a higher quality of lodgings.
Protesters have stressed that they’re not against tourists themselves, bur rather the impact that overtourism is having on the island and its local infrastructure, with rises of holiday rentals and hotels leaving residents facing a housing crisis. In one instance, a group of Canarians have been living in shacks under an abandoned hotel.
But even amidst the hostility, it seems that UK holidaymakers aren’t being completely put off. In fact, The Sun reports that holiday firm On the Beach saw sales for Tenerife holiday up by a third compared with the weeks before the protests, and bookings up year on year by 18%.
The Canaries’ regional tourism chief, Jessica de León, confirmed that the holiday destinations are still open and hoping to attract business. She told the Telegraph: “It is still safe to visit the Canary Islands, and we are delighted to welcome you.” While she admitted there was frustration over the matter, she claimed it was “unfair to blame tourism.” The islands’ president, Fernando Clavijo, added people were behaving in such a way that demonstrated “tourist-phobia”. He added that holidaymakers who visit and spend their money shouldn’t be “criticised or insulted” as it could threaten the region’s “main source of income.”
He also recently said he was “proud” the island was a top tourist destination, but acknowledged more controls were needed. “We can’t keep looking away. Otherwise, hotels will continue to open without any control,” he told a press conference.
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