Canary Islands beg British tourists not to cancel holidays as 70,000 to march in a protest against "overtourism". Tenerife and Lanzarote have seen protests break out this week - with April 19 and April 20 seeing demonstrations against what locals perceive to be "overtourism" and an influx of visitors.
Tourism chief Jessica de León has urged British tourists to still visit the holiday hotspot despite tensions mounting. Locals have scrawled 'tourists go home' across the Canary Islands in a move to make Brits feel unwelcome, according to reports.
Jessica de León, who became regional tourism chief last July, told The Telegraph: "It is still safe to visit the Canary Islands and we are delighted to welcome you." She said she understood protesters’ frustrations, particularly concerning the lack of adequate housing, but that it was "unfair to blame tourism".
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And a native campaigner 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 [this weekend].
"The Canarian government is concious 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 wich respects nature and Canarians."
Fernando Clavijo, the Canary Islands president, has also weighed in, saying that some of the opinions being expressed by activists “smack of tourist-phobia”. “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,” Mr Clavijo said.
One expat from Scotland told the newspaper: “I think the government should address these concerns and not dismiss them as just a few cranks. Otherwise, the situation probably will escalate." “We have the feeling that we are not living off tourism; it is tourism that is living off us,” said Gabriel González, a councillor for the hard-Left Podemos party in Tenerife’s southern resort town of Adeje.
