Brits have started to turn their backs on the Canary Islands with hotels seeing a dip in bookings amid a renewed surge in anti-tourism protests.
Thousands of fed-up locals kicked off demonstrations across the archipelago on Sunday, as protesters stormed the streets and beaches of the Canary Islands.
The latest protests came after Santiago Sese, president of the Tenerife’s Chamber of Commerce, expressed concern on Friday after he revealed that the number of British reservations for this summer have fallen by eight per cent year-on-year.
He said competing countries like Turkey, Greece, Egypt, and neighbouring Morocco have all seen their bookings increase.
Sese also regretted that the advertising campaigns specifically targeting the UK are not having an impact.
The Canary Islands government now wants to hold emergency talks with activists following the plunge in British bookings.
Tourism minister for Tenerife Lope Afonso said he wants to ‘discuss the future of the islands,’ with local demonstrators.
Brits are turning their backs on the Canary Islands as Tenerife sees an eight per cent dip in hotel bookings from Brits
The figure comes after thousands of fed-up locals kicked off demonstrations across the archipelago on Sunday
The Canary Islands government now wants to hold emergency talks with activists following the plunge in British bookings
The president of Tenerife’s federation of hotel owners Pedro Alfonso chimed in, warning that ‘every small collapse has an echo in trust’, noting that ‘when confidence falls, investment comes to a halt.’
Calling for a return to ‘dialogue, trust, and common sense,’ Alfonso expressed the importance of safeguarding jobs and restoring stability on the island that is heavily dependent on British tourism during the summer months.
It follows a series of widely-reported ‘anti-tourism’ protests across Spain that have made many Brits feel unwelcome.
Holidaymakers were forced to cower in hotels yesterday as anti-tourist protests stormed the streets of the Canary Islands, disrupting bliss for the thousands of Brits abroad.
Demonstrators marched with the slogan ‘Canarias tiene un limite’ (The Canaries has a limit, while slogan were chanted such as: ‘El dinero del turismo, donde está?’, meaning ‘The money from tourism, where is it?’
One placard read: ‘Stop excessive tourism… this is our home,’ while another said: ‘My misery is your paradise’.
A banner declared the Canary Islands ‘is no longer a paradise’ thanks to tourism.
Another sign was inscribed with the words: ‘tourists swim in s**t’, referencing the large amount of sewage water that is dumped into the sea – the majority of it, activists say, coming from hotels and tourist accommodations.
Other placards in Spanish said: ‘Don’t sell your homes to guiris!’
A series of widely-reported ‘anti-tourism’ protests across Spain have made many Brits feel unwelcome
The Canary Islands has a population of 2.2million people, but welcomes around 18million holidaymakers each year
Thousands of people protested against the tourism model and mass tourism in the Canary Islands in Tenefire on Sunday
Demonstrators could also be heard shouting ‘Canarias No Se Vende’, meaning ‘The Canary Islands Are Not For Sale’
Activists are calling for a cap on the number of holidaymakers, to prevent overcrowding and resource depletion
Among their other demands is a ban on any new hotels or tourism apartment complexes
Guiri is a Spanish slang word for British and other tourists.
Demonstrators could also be heard shouting ‘Canarias No Se Vende’, meaning ‘The Canary Islands Are Not For Sale,’ while the blew whistles and proudly held Canary Island flags in the sky.
Holidaymakers looked on from rooftops as protesters marched by, while locals reportedly took the opportunity to pull the middle finger towards tourists, who allegedly did kissing gestures back.
The Canary Islands has a population of 2.2million people, but welcomes around 18million holidaymakers each year – which locals say is placing a strain on resources, causing jet fuel pollution, traffic chaos and a host of other issues.
For this reason, activists are calling for a cap on the number of holidaymakers, to prevent overcrowding and resource depletion.
Among their other demands is a ban on any new hotels or tourism apartment complexes, and the immediate demolition of projects already declared illegal.
These include large-scale luxury projects like the Cuna del Alma and La Tejita hotels in Tenerife, which they accuse of causing environmental harm.
They also want a ‘significant’ tourist eco-tax that will be used to pay for the conservation and maintenance of natural spaces.
One of the biggest gripes is the surge in Airbnb-style properties, which has been blamed for rising house costs and the dwindling supply of homes to rent or buy.
Anti-tourism campaigners have long been contesting the current tourism model, claiming that many locals have been priced out by holidaymakers
Last year, Spain saw a record-breaking number of tourists, with over 15 million visitors flocking to the island of Mallorca alone. Pictured: Lively tourist-filled streets of Palma de Mallorca’s old town
Protestors pictured in yesterday’s demonstration in the Canary Islands
Anti-holidaymaker protests took a sinister turn last year as ‘kill a tourist’ graffiti appeared on a wall in Mallorca
Demonstrators hold a sign which reads ‘tourism yes, but not like that’ during a march in Palma last summer
Locals have also taken to the streets in Barcelona, Valencia as well as Madrid, as tensions towards tourists have continued to rise over the last year.
In April, locals fired water pistols at a tour bus outside Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia, as they warned of bigger protests this summer.
Anti-tourism campaigners have long been contesting the current tourism model, claiming that many locals have been priced out by holidaymakers, expats and foreign buyers.
Last year, Spain saw a record-breaking number of tourists, with over 15 million visitors flocking to the island of Mallorca alone.
In response, protestors took to the streets across Spain, leaving countless visitors fuming after paying hundreds of pounds to enjoy their holidays abroad.
Actions included marches on the street with protesters chanting ‘tourists go home’, as well as demonstrations on beaches which saw locals boo and jeer at sun-soaked tourists.
In one particular instance, up to 50,000 locals descended onto the streets of the Mallorca capital Palma.
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