The Contrary Islands
Desperate tourism bosses beg Britons not to cancel their trips as safety fears mount over locals’ ‘go-home’ protest
‘Tourists must not be insulted. We are playing with our main income source’
THE Canary Islands have begged British tourists not to cancel their holidays as tensions mount ahead of anti-tourism protests.
Tens of thousands are expected to take to the streets across the islands today, including in Tenerife’s capital Santa Cruz, after months of rising hostility.
Graffiti has appeared telling visitors to “go home” but local officials are pleading for holidaymakers to come.
Tourism chief Jessica de León said: “It is still safe to visit the Canary Islands and we are delighted to welcome you.”
She said she understood protesters’ frustrations, particularly over housing shortages, but it was “unfair to blame tourism”.
The islands’ president Fernando Clavijo Batlle accused activists “of tourist-phobia”.
He said: “People who come here to visit and spend their money must not be criticised or insulted. We are playing with our main source of income.”
But many residents say more needs to be done to curb the impact of mass tourism, including pollution, and are hoping today’s protests will be a turning point.
One campaigner told the Express the gatherings promise to be the biggest yet.
Iván Cerdeña Molina said: “We are expecting four or five times more people than the last demonstration in Santa Cruz, which saw around 10,000 people protesting against the touristic model and new hotels, so around 50,000 to 70,000 people.
“The Canarian government is conscious about how historic this protest is which is on all the islands at the same time.
“The president and the ministers are already very nervous.
“Things will have to deeply change to a model which respects nature and Canarians.”
Half a dozen locals have started an “indefinite” hunger strike by a church in the town of San Cristóbal de La Laguna in the north of Tenerife.
They are all members of Canarias Se Agota, which translates as “the Canary Islands are exhausted”.
The protests come after a wave of messages were left spray-painted on buildings in English, including: “My misery your paradise” and “Average salary in Canary Islands is 1,200 euros”.
A photo of a hire car with the words “Go Home” scrawled on the side was published by the local press.
Some hotels have had calls from worried British tourists.
Jorge Marichal, president of regional hotel association Ashotel, said earlier this month clients in one of his properties began “to call and ask what’s happening here and whether it’s safe”. He added: “It’s happening in some hotels.”
Most Britons on holiday in Tenerife were unaware of today’s protests at San Cristóbal de La Laguna and in other islands such as Gran Canaria and Lanzarote, as the temperature hit 25C.
But Hollie Palmer, 21, and Gareth Blackburn, 40, were alerted by relatives that tensions might be running high. Gareth, from Newport, South Wales, said: “I wasn’t worried about it, just confused. We were a bit like, why would you protest over this?
“All of the local businesses’ livelihoods are people coming here.”
Gareth said he enjoys the year-round sun but understands why locals might be frustrated with high property prices and drunk Brits. He added: “I appreciate the fact that they might not like how p ***** people get. But we’re not troublemakers. I can understand why they might be annoyed with the traffic and not being able to go out at night.” His friend Hollie pointed out that tourism had transformed disused areas.
She said: “My grandad [who’d been coming to Tenerife for years] said that before there were all these touristy places it was just desert.”
Their friend Ben Sansoni, 25, agreed, adding: “All the food that local people grow is being eaten by us.”
Locals we spoke to who were against the protests were reluctant to be pictured but said they were not being heard.
The owner of a day-trip business said: “I am completely against them when they say, ‘Tourists go home’. We rely on tourists, we don’t want them to stop coming.
“I can’t speak [publicly] because I am Spanish. But I want people to know we are not against them.”
Another local said it was about migrants. They said: “We do not want to limit tourists coming to the island – this is about immigration, having too many residents and people moving to the islands.
“It is like a glass of water that has been filled three times too much and
overflows.”