Lanzarote and Tenerife are calling on Brits to keep visiting as thousands consider canceling their holidays

The Canary Islands have urged British tourists not to cancel their holidays amid fears of anti-tourism protests. Regional tourism chief Jessica de Leon has reassured visitors that they are still welcome on the islands, despite planned protests calling for a rethink of the Spanish archipelago’s tourism sector.

Thousands are expected to take part in demonstrations in the Canary Islands this Saturday. “It is still safe to visit the Canary Islands, and we are pleased to welcome you,” De Leon told The Telegraph.

She also expressed sympathy for the demonstrators’ frustrations, but argued that it was “unfair to blame tourism”. Fernando Clavijo, the president of the Canary Islands, agreed with De Leon and accused some activists of harboring “a touch of tourist phobia”.

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“People who come here and spend their money should not be criticized or insulted. We are playing with our main source of income,” Clavijo said. However, Gabriel Gonzalez, a councilor of the far-left Podemos party in the Tenerife resort of Adeje, said: “We feel that we do not live from tourism; it is tourism that makes our living.”

Nestor Marrero, secretary of ATAN, an ecology group in Tenerife, said: “The number of tourists must be reduced. We should be aiming for higher quality visitors, not people in all-inclusive resorts who don’t leave the hotel or interact with locals. and our culture in any way.”

In 2021, the islands, which have a population of 2.2 million, welcomed 13.9 million visitors, Birmingham Live reports. According to data from the Spanish National Institute of Statistics, 33.8 percent of Canary Islands residents are at risk of poverty or social exclusion; this is the worst figure in every region except Andalusia.

Speaking to media personnel this week, Fernando Clavijo said: “All the actions this government has taken are based on a review of this model.” “The tourism model in the Canary Islands has been successful, but of course, as with anything, there are things that can be perfected.”