Brits are being urged to stay alert if they’re planning a winter getaway to the Canary Islands, as anti-tourist demonstrations have resurfaced.
Sabrina, who goes by the handle sabrinaescapes on TikTok and is renowned for her travel advice, recently shared some guidance for families preparing for their half-term breaks.
She revealed this week that protests against tourism have “kicked off” once more in popular spots such as Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and El Hierro.
Over the past weekend, thousands took to the streets in these holiday destinations, rallying against what they perceive to be “over-tourism”. Sabrina expressed concern for families intending to visit these locations during the half-term break.
In her TikTok video, she explained: “They say that over-tourism prices local people out of the housing market. The protests are supposed to be against people buying property for AirBnB, driving property prices up, which their locals can’t afford.
“However, it doesn’t just seem to be the property prices that they are protesting about. In Playas las Americas in Tenerife protesters appeared on the beach while tourists were sunbathing and chanted ‘this beach is ours’.
“The activists also claimed the arrival of millions of visitors every year depletes limited natural resources like water and damages the environment.”
Sabrina revealed that she’s been inundated with queries about the situation, noting that while some travellers have enjoyed their trips without a hitch, others have faced demands to “go home”.
During her visit to Tenerife last month, Sabrina encountered no issues with the locals. However, she has encouraged Brits to come forward with their own experiences, highlighting that reactions seem to vary greatly.
One holidaymaker responded: “Didn’t visit this year due to demonstrations. Went to Sidari twice and Menorca – felt more welcome than in the Canaries. I get their point of view, but I’m sure they need tourists for their income.”
Another commented: “I will never understand this. The tourists bring at least 70% of their income to their country, and usually help fund it and keep it running.”
A third also wrote: “I was there when this was on Sunday. It was scary if I’m honest. They were shouting at us, telling us to go home. So glad I was flying back home that day.”
The Spanish government has confirmed that at least 8,000 individuals participated in the protests, rallying behind the slogan “Canary Islands has a limit”.
In contrast to the local population of 2.2 million, the islands welcomed 9.9 million tourists from January to September last year, as reported by the Spanish National Statistics Institute, marking a 10.3% increase from the same period the previous year.
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