Brits planning a winter getaway to the Canary Islands have been urged to stay alert as anti-tourist demonstrations have resurfaced.
Sabrina, who goes by the handle sabrinaescapes on TikTok is renowned for her travel advice, and she 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 destinations such as Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and El Hierro. Over the past weekend, thousands took to the streets in these holiday hotspots to voice their concerns over “over-tourism”.
Sabrina warned that this could be a cause for 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.”
She added: “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’.”
Sabrina also noted that the activists argue that the influx of millions of visitors annually drains scarce natural resources like water and harms the environment.
Her inbox has been flooded with queries regarding the situation in Tenerife. Strikingly, while some holidaymakers sailed through without a hitch, others were startlingly told to “go home”.
During her visit to Tenerife last month, Sabrina encountered no unfriendly attitudes from locals; however, she’s calling on Brits to come forward with their own anecdotes, highlighting the varying experiences of different visitors.
A concerned vacationer wrote: “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 baffled tourist 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.”
Meanwhile, a third chimed in with: “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 protesters took part in the event on the weekend, which was promoted under “Canary Islands has a limit”.
Last year, the local population clocked in at 2.2 million, but the number of tourists who favoured these islands for their holidays soared to 9.9 million between January and September – a hefty 10.3% leap from the prior year, as reported by the Spanish National Statistics Institute.
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