Brit tourists were gripped by fear and didn’t dare venture outside their rooms in the Canary Islands as violent protests erupted across the holiday haven.
The usually tranquil European Union retreat turned into a lock-in scene for vacationers trapped amidst surging tensions and rallies against excessive tourism.
The protests were particularly intense in Tenerife, where thousands of protesters flooded the streets near tourist resorts. A distressed Lee Pattemore, 44, from Epsom, Surrey, recounted his ordeal to The Sun while holed up in the Riu hotel with his wife Stacey, 39, and their two young daughters.
He said: “They were circling the hotel. My daughter was asking me, ‘Daddy, why are they shouting?'” Lee, who runs a landscaping business, described the intimidating scenes, and said: “There was a lot of pushing and shoving. We’re too scared to leave the hotel now.”
Activist Daniel Cabrera outlined the tension between welcoming visitors and protecting local interests: “We want tourism – we do not want over-exploitation and garbage tourism that does not benefit the local economy.”
Islanders are at breaking point, saying over-tourism has inflated property prices beyond their reach and led to congestion and issues with water and sewage systems. Their pleas have fallen on deaf ears with the local authorities, they claim.
Protest signs painted a dismal picture, with messages like “Can’t wait to get off work and swim in sewage” and “Your luxury, my misery”. One demonstrator voiced their frustration: “Mass tourism causes us a lot of problems, both in terms of traffic, water and sewage.”
Another added with disappointment, “It is not normal that we Canarians have to leave our land to be able to live comfortably”.
A Scottish tourist voiced their disapproval of disrespectful visitors, saying: “Some people are coming here and they are not respecting the culture. They are not respecting the locals. They are not respecting the island. And those other people who are coming here and they are respecting the culture and respecting the island.”
Adding a stark reminder, “So I would say Tenerife relies on tourism, you know, but it doesn’t mean that anybody can come and abuse this island, you know.”
Meanwhile, another Scot offered a sincere apology along with praises for the locale: “On behalf, I do apologise, but what a beautiful place. We come here, and we are respectful of the island.”
Earlier we reported on a Brit who swapped the UK for sunny Tenerife has issued a stark warning to fellow tourists flocking to the destination this winter.
The Canary Island, which is popular for those seeking winter sun, may be a slice of paradise, but visitors are being urged to stay vigilant. TikTok user @theknightstrider1, who’s called Tenerife home for over 10 years, warns a particular problem plagues the island every winter season.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the issue is pickpocketing. Unlike mainland Spain, which quiets down in winter, Tenerife’s tourist trade booms, attracting criminal gangs who “fly in” with the sole purpose of thieving from holidaymakers, treating it like a “full-time job”.
In the clip, he explained: “They are very good at it, and they will do pickpocketing. They will steal from cars if you leave stuff inside them, so please do be very careful with your wallets, and stuff like that.”
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