British holidaymakers are vowing to “never return” to Spain after protesters stormed a beach and surrounded tourists in their swimwear during an anti-mass tourism demonstration.
Thousands of people pounded the streets of Spain last weekend, urging a change to the current tourism model affecting the lives of Spanish residents. Simultaneous protests took place in Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and El Hierro.
Astonishing pictures emerged from Tenerife where flag-waving locals yelled “this beach is ours” whilst banging drums and blowing whistles.
The surreal scenes occurred after hundreds of protestors diverted from their planned seafront route in Playa de las Americas in Tenerife and ended up taking over Troya Beach shortly after midday.
Now many Brits are fed up with the anti-tourism sentiments and are fighting back with some threatening to boycott the holiday destination altogether.
One holidaymaker told GB News: “Simple – don’t go to the Canaries or Spain. They’ll soon be crying when hotels go bankrupt and the British don’t go there.”
Another added: “This is the most bizarre protest ever. Unless they have a watertight plan B for their economies, they better get used to not eating. They’re biting the hand that literally feeds them.”
A Brit expressed that they shouldn’t “complain when the money from tourism dries up”.
Someone else raged: “I’ll do them a favour and never return. The last time I was there, my pal got robbed of all his money and if everyone boycotted Tenerife, they all be moaning that there were no jobs. All the souvenir shops, hotels, restaurants, taxis, airports would suffer.”
However, some Brits sympathised with the protestors acknowledging that “hotels that were once owned by locals are being bought up by chains and turned all-inclusive” meaning that tourists aren’t spending as much on the island.
One Briton said: “They don’t want to stop tourism. They want to stop further construction of tourist complexes: more hotels, residential complexes, golf courses, tennis clubs, etc, using up the natural resources and pushing up prices for the local community.
“They have every right to protest. Perhaps it would be better to find another way.”
Activist Daniel Cabrera, one of the demonstrators last weekend said: “We want tourism, what we do not want is over-exploitation and garbage tourism that does not benefit the local economy.
“Seventy-five percent of the money from island hotels and other businesses ends up outside of Spain and that can’t be tolerated.”