Britons could be hit by new taxes and strict limits on visitor numbers in Tenerife after massive ‘anti-tourism’ protests

Britons could face new taxes and strict visitor limits in Tenerife after locals demanded a freeze on holidaymakers during mass anti-tourism protests.

The Canary Islands could soon take measures to regulate the number of visitors – and charge tourists a daily fee to visit the archipelago.

Thousands of people demonstrate against tourism policy on the island of TenerifeCredit: Getty

Protests took place in Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Madrid and Malaga

It is believed that up to 50,000 people attended the march on TenerifeCreditCredit: Reuters

A growing anti-tourism movement has swept the islands in recent months

Politicians are under immense pressure after tens of thousands of angry residents took to the streets to rage against the country’s tourism industry.

And now Rosa Dávila, Tenerife’s first female president, proposed a new tourism model that would charge visitors for access to natural areas.

She also calls for measures to ‘modulate’ the number of tourists arriving in Tenerife – and ‘study the impact of demographic growth.

She said after the mass protests: “We must analyze the exceptional circumstances that can be applied in an area as vulnerable and limited as ours. What is clear is that Tenerife cannot be a theme park.

“Those who visit us must appreciate and respect our natural and cultural wealth and resources, and they must be clear about the rules for their conservation.

“In addition, there must be boundaries to prevent tourism from overflowing.”

Canary Islands President Fernando Clavijo previously warned that daily charges for visitors could be imposed.

Although this is not included in the current plans, Clavijo said the government is willing to look at suggestions of a surcharge of three euros per night.

He said last Friday: “It is true that the eco-tax is not included in the government program, but it is also true that we are willing to talk about it; the government will always engage in dialogue.”

An angry anti-tourism movement has gained momentum on the popular holiday hotspot islands in recent months.

Residents of the largest Canary Island appear to be at war with British holidaymakers as they bombard visitors with anti-tourism graffiti and emerging local campaigns.

On Saturday, thousands of people took to the streets of Tenerife today to demand restrictions on holidaymakers after telling Britons to “go home”.

The anti-tourist hordes filled a square in the capital waving banners, including some that read “You Enjoy We Lijden” in English.

More than 15,000 people waved Canary Islands flags and blew horns to make a deafening noise in the capital Santa Cruz.

At the same time, protests also took place in other popular Canary Islands, including Lanzarote and Gran Canaria.

Banners at today’s mass protest read: “Where is the tourism money?” and “’Tourism moratorium now.”

The marches were organized under the slogan ‘The Canary Islands have a limit’.

Anti-tourism protesters want authorities to paralyze two projects, including one involving the construction of a five-star hotel on one of Tenerife’s last unspoilt beaches.

They are also looking for more protection from mass tourism – to help with the local environment, traffic and housing problems.

Other demands include the protection of natural areas, a tourist tax and better working conditions for hotel cleaners, who joined the protest in Santa Cruz today and emphasized to the local press: “We are not slaves.”

Organizers claim yesterday’s march attracted as many as 50,000 participants.

Why are the locals of Tenerife turning against the British?

RESIDENTS of the largest Canary Island appear to be at war with British holidaymakers as they bombard visitors with anti-tourism graffiti and emerging local campaigns.

Locals say they are ‘fed up’ with ‘low quality’ British tourists who only come for the cheap beer, burgers and sunbathing.

Now they are demanding a tourist tax, fewer flights to the island and a stricter approach to foreigners buying houses.

Some protesters claim their anger is directed at the government and not the tourists, who are demanding change.

They claim that AirBnBs and other vacation rentals drive up the cost of living and that they are tired of the noise, traffic and clutter that comes with the avalanche of vacationers who visit every year.

Jaime Coello, president of the Telesforo Bravo Foundation, said: “The quality of the tourism product is being destroyed by the investors and the regional government.”

Waves of anti-tourist graffiti sprayed across the island to tell the British they are not welcome.

Bitter messages outside tourist hotspots read: “your paradise, our misery” and “tourists go home”.

“Locals are being forced to move and YOU are responsible for that,” read an angry printed sign.

Another read: “Tourists go home!”

The looming chaos combined with hatred towards visitors is now making British tourists afraid to holiday in Tenerife.

And Jorge Marichal, the boss of a hotel chain in Tenerife, revealed that Brits were calling fearing they would not be safe on their holiday to the island.

He said: “One of the problems I’m dealing with is customers starting to call and asking what’s happening here and if it’s safe.”

While the hotel owner said he understands the pain of locals, he added that “anti-tourism” is not the way to go.

Expats are fighting back

Many expats and tourists have fought back by claiming that the anti-tourism war is wrong and misleading.

One of the replies, left in English on a wall next to the “Tourists go home” message, read: “F**k off, we’ll pay your wages.”

Melissa Taylor, 47, who runs an English pub in Las Playas de las Americas, told The Mail that the anti-tourism stuff was “unfair” because without tourism “there wouldn’t be anything here”.

She added: “Brits come here and spend a lot of money, the vast majority of our customers are from Britain.”

And Irish expat Bronagh Maheor, 23, also branded the locals’ protests as ‘totally unfair’, saying that without tourists there would be ‘no hotels or businesses.

“I wouldn’t have a job anymore, we need them,” he argued.

Some British holidaymakers have voiced support for the issues raised by the islanders, but others have accused them of biting the hand that feeds them.

A Brit, Ellie Taylor, told The Sun: “Half the restaurants wouldn’t be open if we weren’t there.”

The Canary Islands Tourism Board has also denied there has been an influx of tourists, claiming figures are the same as before the pandemic.

A spokesperson for the board told the Mirror that the influx of tourists is stable all year round.

They added: “The pressure on the area, its resources and the local population is much less than in other destinations where tourist arrivals are concentrated at specific times of the year.”

Why are the locals of Tenerife turning against the British?

Expats are fighting back

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