UK tourists take action amid tourism protests in Tenerife and Lanzarote

Despite recent protests in Tenerife and Lanzarote, where locals are expressing frustration at holidaymakers’ behavior and increased tourism, UK tourists show no sign of being deterred. In fact, On The Beach, a popular package tour provider, reported a significant increase in bookings, with sales up by a third over the two weeks leading up to the demonstrations.

The Canary Islands, including the islands of Lanzarote, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and La Palma, remain a top destination for Brits, with an 18% increase in bookings to 2023 and almost 14 million visitors last year, marking a 13% increase increases from 2022.

Samantha Hasala, a local resident, shared her thoughts with The Sun: “A lot of people say, ‘We don’t want any more tourists here’ – but it’s not really about the British. It’s only because most of our tourists are British. . We love the British.”

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Leigh Buckingham, who booked a holiday on April 26, was undeterred by the protests, telling reporters: “I saw the protests but it didn’t stop me – it actually reminded me to book. We like it there. We go almost every time. Who can argue with lots of sun, sand and sangria?”

On The Beach’s Zoe Harris commented on the trend, saying: “We’ve looked closely at the number of bookings since the protests and it looks like it’s only encouraged more Brits to book. Thousands have finalized their holiday plans in recent weeks. ”, reports Birmingham Live.

The company anticipates even more bookings as enthusiasm for sunny destinations continues unabated. The seven main islands of the Canary Islands, with a population of 2.2 million inhabitants, welcomed almost 14 million international guests in 2023, up 13% on the previous year.

The tourism sector is a major player in the Canary Islands, accounting for 35% of the region’s gross domestic product (GDP). Andy Ward, director of Tenerife estate agents, shared with Sky News that the media attention given to a few cases of ‘tourists go home’ graffiti was ‘100 times greater than the reality on the ground’, indicating that real resentment are minimal. .

“Governments here have completely neglected this need, instead selling land for more hotels and selling land for luxury villas and luxury apartments, which local people can’t afford,” he explained.