Frustration is mounting amongst residents of the Canary Islands as they face an influx of visitors and poor behaviour from tourists – especially Brits.
There have been a number of protests in Spain throughout 2024 as tempers rise over the unsustainability of the current tourism model, with locals taking to the streets brandishing placards with slogans like “tourists go home”. Now Canary Islanders are warning visitors: “It’s not a theme park.”
“British tourists are undoubtedly the worst behaved and show dramatic reactions in person and in the media when their behaviour and rejection by the local population is exposed,” Nestor Marrero Rodríguez, secretary the Tenerife Association of Friends of Nature, told Euronews. While locals say they recognise the importance of tourism for the economy, they also emphasise the need to adopt a more sustainable and respectful approach.
Local tourist guide in Gran Canaria, Guillermo, also told Euronews: “I understand that not everyone is looking for the local culture, but I ask you to be aware that there are people living here 365 days of the year. It’s not a theme park. You can’t do as you please because you think someone is coming to clean your mess. We are directly affected by your misbehaving and attitudes.”
Locals said they are struggling to afford housing due to the increase in short-term rentals managed by foreign companies and though it was initially seen as beneficial, Airbnb has contributed to gentrification and the displacement of local residents. Guillermo added: “Since Airbnb started rocketing up, local people can no longer live in the areas they used to, and housing is becoming impossible across all the islands.”
According to the Spanish government’s national figures, most of the tourists that came to Spain in 2024 were from the UK. UK tourists spent more than €22.6bn (£18.8bn) in Spain in 2024, which is 13.5% more than in 2023, according to La Moncloa.
Some 9.9 million tourists visited the Canary Islands between January and September of last year, according to the Spanish National Statistics Institute. And as the islands prepare for another influx of visitors in 2025, the call for responsible and respectful tourism is louder than ever.
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