British holidaymakers are bracing for ‘unprecedented’ anti-tourism protests across the Canary Islands this weekend.

Hundreds of thousands of fed-up locals are set to take to the streets on Sunday over what they claim is an ‘excessive’ tourism model.

Under the slogan ‘Canarias tiene un limite’ (The Canaries has a limit), the demonstrators will gather from 11am on the islands of Tenerife, La Gomera, Gran Canaria, El Hierro, Lanzarote and La Palma.

‘Solidarity protests’ will also take place in various cities on the mainland, including Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona.

Activists believe the current tourism model is ‘unsustainable’ and pushing the islands toward collapse.

They want to limit the number of tourists visiting the islands, ban new hotel construction and introduce a tougher tourist tax, among other measures.

But Brits holidaying in Tenerife this weekend told MailOnline the locals ‘should be careful what they wish for.’

British holidaymakers are bracing for 'unprecedented' anti-tourism protests across the Canary Islands (pictured) this weekend as hundreds of thousands of fed-up locals are set to take to the streets on Sunday over what they claim is an 'excessive' tourism model

British holidaymakers are bracing for ‘unprecedented’ anti-tourism protests across the Canary Islands (pictured) this weekend as hundreds of thousands of fed-up locals are set to take to the streets on Sunday over what they claim is an ‘excessive’ tourism model

Activists believe the current tourism model is 'unsustainable' and pushing the islands toward collapse, advocating for a ban of new hotel construction and a tougher tourist tax. But Brits holidaying in Tenerife this weekend told MailOnline the locals 'should be careful what they wish for'

Activists believe the current tourism model is ‘unsustainable’ and pushing the islands toward collapse, advocating for a ban of new hotel construction and a tougher tourist tax. But Brits holidaying in Tenerife this weekend told MailOnline the locals ‘should be careful what they wish for’

Under the slogan 'Canarias tiene un limite' (The Canaries has a limit), demonstrators are set to  gather from 11am on the islands of Tenerife, La Gomera, Gran Canaria, El Hierro, Lanzarote and La Palma. Pictured: anti-tourism demonstrators gather in Barcelona in July 2024

Under the slogan ‘Canarias tiene un limite’ (The Canaries has a limit), demonstrators are set to  gather from 11am on the islands of Tenerife, La Gomera, Gran Canaria, El Hierro, Lanzarote and La Palma. Pictured: anti-tourism demonstrators gather in Barcelona in July 2024 

‘I think it’s stupid,’ said Dave Dott, 60, from Glasgow.

Speaking from the beach promenade in Los Cristianos, Tenerife, he added: ‘This island will collapse if the protesters get their way… without tourism the island has nothing.

‘I’ve been coming here for decades and they won’t put me off. I think it’s a small but loud minority, they obviously don’t care about the service sector which would be massively impacted.’

Paul Nixon, 60, from Staffordshire has also been visiting Tenerife for years.

He told MailOnline: ‘I think they need to be careful what they wish for, the island is so dependent on tourism.

‘I think bookings are down already to be honest, it seems quieter this year.

‘I saw they were spraying tourists with water in Barcelona which is completely wrong, if they started doing that here then we would definitely be put off coming.’

Speaking from the beach promenade in Los Cristianos, Tenerife, Dave Dott, 60, from Glasgow,  said: 'This island will collapse if the protesters get their way¿ without tourism the island has nothing'Steven and Michelle Ross, aged 55 and 56 respectively, face having their holiday disrupted for a second time after being caught up in previous anti-tourism demonstrations.

Speaking from the beach promenade in Los Cristianos, Tenerife, Dave Dott, 60, from Glasgow,  said: ‘This island will collapse if the protesters get their way… without tourism the island has nothing’Steven and Michelle Ross, aged 55 and 56 respectively, face having their holiday disrupted for a second time after being caught up in previous anti-tourism demonstrations.

Steven and Michelle Ross, aged 55 and 56 respectively, face having their holiday disrupted for a second time after being caught up in previous anti-tourism demonstrations. (Pictured: protestors against tourism policies on the island of Tenerife, Spain on April 20, 2024)

Steven and Michelle Ross, aged 55 and 56 respectively, face having their holiday disrupted for a second time after being caught up in previous anti-tourism demonstrations. (Pictured: protestors against tourism policies on the island of Tenerife, Spain on April 20, 2024)

Anti-holidaymaker protests took a sinister turn last year as 'kill a tourist' graffiti appeared on a wall in Mallorca

Anti-holidaymaker protests took a sinister turn last year as ‘kill a tourist’ graffiti appeared on a wall in Mallorca 

He added: ‘Everyone has the right to protest but they really need to be careful what they wish for.

‘And how can you stop people going on holidays? How do you put a stop to it without upsetting people? I think they are running the risk of destroying what they have built.’

Steven and Michelle Ross, aged 55 and 56 respectively, face having their holiday disrupted for a second time after being caught up in previous anti-tourism demonstrations.

Michelle said: ‘Last year we were walking from the beach then suddenly saw thousands of locals coming towards us.

‘It was relatively peaceful but they were holding up signs saying ‘tourists go home’, which doesn’t make you feel too welcome.

‘We’ve been looking up the route of the protest to make sure we don’t get caught up in it again so I think we’re safe… but I’d be really upset if we had to holiday somewhere else.’

Steven agreed, adding: ‘We’ve been coming here 15 years, if they really don’t want us here we will look elsewhere…

The Canary Islands has a population of 2.2million people, but welcomes around 18million holidaymakers each year - which locals say is placing a strain on resources, causing jet fuel pollution, traffic chaos and a host of other issues

The Canary Islands has a population of 2.2million people, but welcomes around 18million holidaymakers each year – which locals say is placing a strain on resources, causing jet fuel pollution, traffic chaos and a host of other issues

Activists are calling for a cap on the number of holidaymakers, to prevent overcrowding and resource depletion. Among their other demands is a ban on any new hotels or tourism apartment complexes, and the immediate demolition of projects already declared illegal

Activists are calling for a cap on the number of holidaymakers, to prevent overcrowding and resource depletion. Among their other demands is a ban on any new hotels or tourism apartment complexes, and the immediate demolition of projects already declared illegal

‘While I can see some things from their point of view, if fewer people come, there’s a lot of jobs affected, it’s their number one source of income, it was built on tourism – and how do you police fewer tourists?’

Meanwhile, Staffordshire couple Olwyn and Dave Hughes, both 71, said they will ‘go back to the Greek islands’ if the protests become too much.

Dave said: ‘It’s our 14th time here and we are not put off yet, but I think a lot of people have been, because it is usually rammed now and it is much quieter than last year.

‘I understand that housing is a big issue, what they’re facing is the equivalent of Americans snapping up all the homes in Cornwall for second residences, some of the locals have no chance of buying.

‘But without tourists, so many people, like the thousands of taxi drivers, wouldn’t have jobs.

‘And we don’t like what we see on the TV, all the ‘tourists go home’ stuff, if it gets too much or we don’t feel wanted we will go back to the Greek islands instead.’

The Canary Islands has a population of 2.2million people, but welcomes around 18million holidaymakers each year – which locals say is placing a strain on resources, causing jet fuel pollution, traffic chaos and a host of other issues.

Staffordshire couple Olwyn and Dave Hughes, both 71, said they will 'go back to the Greek islands' if the protests become too much. Pictured: Demonstrators put symbolic cordon on a bar-restaurant window during a protest against mass tourism in Barcelona on July 6, 2024

Staffordshire couple Olwyn and Dave Hughes, both 71, said they will ‘go back to the Greek islands’ if the protests become too much. Pictured: Demonstrators put symbolic cordon on a bar-restaurant window during a protest against mass tourism in Barcelona on July 6, 2024 

One of the biggest gripes is the surge in Airbnb-style properties, which has been blamed for rising house costs and the dwindling supply of homes to rent or buy

One of the biggest gripes is the surge in Airbnb-style properties, which has been blamed for rising house costs and the dwindling supply of homes to rent or buy

For this reason, activists are calling for a cap on the number of holidaymakers, to prevent overcrowding and resource depletion.

Among their other demands is a ban on any new hotels or tourism apartment complexes, and the immediate demolition of projects already declared illegal.

These include large-scale luxury projects like the Cuna del Alma and La Tejita hotels in Tenerife, which they accuse of causing environmental harm.

They also want a ‘significant’ tourist eco-tax that will be used to pay for the conservation and maintenance of natural spaces.

One of the biggest gripes is the surge in Airbnb-style properties, which has been blamed for rising house costs and the dwindling supply of homes to rent or buy. Therefore, protesters want much stricter controls on vacation rentals to alleviate the housing crisis.

Another housing issue is the high number of properties being snapped up by foreign purchasers, which locals say is behind skyrocketing prices. They therefore want to ban or restrict the ability of non-residents to buy homes.

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