Expats living on the Canary Islands have reassured concerned British holidaymakers that it is safe to travel to there despite several ongoing anti-tourism protests
Brits planning on travelling to the Canary Islands this summer have been told they have nothing to worry about despite ongoing anti-tourism protests.
Last month tens of thousands of protestors took to the streets across the islands, calling for a temporary limit to the number of visitors. Dramatic scenes saw furious locals pass through Tenerife’s capital Santa Cruz peacefully, with a large police presence.
The phrase “Canarias tiene un límite” (“the Canary Islands have a limit”) was widely seen on placards, whilst video clips 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 shared on social media.
Since then, concerned holidaymakers have taken to social media to question if it is still safe to travel. One concerned Brit wrote on the ‘Expats in Canary Islands’ group on Facebook: “My wife and I are 60 year old UK citizens. We are VERY concerned about booking a holiday to the Canaries… Lanzarote or Tenerife. Our concern is our safety, due to the widely publicised demonstrations AGAINST tourism and tourists from the UK. Should we just go to another country?”
Several expats responded, claiming the matter had been “blown out of proportion”. One woman explained: “The Canaries are NOT against tourism nor tourists from anywhere, including the UK. The demonstrations were about controlling the number of tourists that are coming in.”
She continued: “The Canaries are being flooded and there are problems for residents finding places to live because homes are being let to tourists, not residents, plus of course prices are being pushed up in the shops, while wages here remain extremely low. It’s a bit like some places in the UK, including Cornwall, where locals can not afford to buy a places because of them all being sold as holiday homes for a lot more money.”
Another reassured: “You don’t have to be worried. Protests are against government and laws. Not against tourists as it was already mentioned here. I live on Lanzarote and everything is OK. I am meeting UK tourists every day, I see them in restaurants, on the beach… all OK.” Only heightening fears, however, Tenerife’s deputy mayor Carlos Tarife recently begged Brits to go elsewhere for cheap all-inclusive holidays.
Another Facebook user recently took to the ‘Official Tenerife Forum’ group outlining how it’s not just authorities on the island creating the hysteria, as they’d seen anti-tourism graffiti “sprayed along the promenade”. They wrote: “A large number of posts on here are from expats as you would expect, mocking tourists… and stating that the issue is not with holiday makers but with the government. If that is the case and it makes sense, why was there graffiti sprayed along the promenade in Palm Mar clearly aimed at tourist[s]?”
Writing in response, a resident claimed the graffiti was the work of “bored kids” on the island. “You do realise that most graffiti is written by bored kids, right?” they explained. “They want to be ‘rad’, get attention and copy what is trending. Hardly Banksy, is it?”
Another commented: “Only takes one person to write graffiti. Anti-English and tourist graffiti is common sight in parts of Wales but only a small group of people responsible.” And a third joked: “If people researched graffiti before going somewhere then no one would ever go anywhere!”
Earlier this week the Canaries’ regional tourism chief, Jessica de León, confirmed 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”.
