Inside Tenerife protests as 50k march to stop tourists from ‘killing the Canary Islands’

Tens of thousands of angry protesters have marched through Tenerife pleading for more to be done to stop overtourism from crippling the island. 

With anger on the Canary Islands having reached boiling point, an estimated 50,000 locals took to the streets, with chants of “the Canaries have a limit” being bellowed through megaphones and banners being carried with slogans such as “domestic terrorism is the holiday home”.

Saturday afternoon’s protest through Tenerife’s capital Santa Cruz passed peacefully despite there being a large police presence in case of any trouble.

Locals taking part in the protest told Express.co.uk that “every nook and cranny” on the island has been taken up by hotels or holiday homes for tourists.

They fear that Tenerife is dying under the strain of pollution caused by overtourism, with scores of locals enduring impoverished lives in tents, vans and cars as property and rental prices spiral out of control. 

While the protest itself was good natured, some of the slogans made the level of simmering fury clear – with one activist wearing a T-shirt which simply said “f*** off” while others beared the message “your tourism kills”. 

Teenage activist Celia Quintero said that at age 15 she already feels under strain at school to accommodate British tourists.

She said that there was pressure to learn English at school with lessons like Maths even being taught in the language saying “you have to know English because we rely on tourism and to stay safe”.

But she doesn’t feel safe – revealing that she was followed by a group of German tourists who she claimed harassed her so much in a language she didn’t understand she had to hide in a bar.

She told the Express at the protest: “I wouldn’t go to the south of the island alone, it is not safe for young women.”

The rising anger among locals has prompted Canarian leaders to warn against making tourists feel unwelcome given how much the islands rely on it for vital income.

Fernando Clavijo, the Canary Islands president, has also blasted the activists, whose argument “smacks of tourist-phobia”.

Jaime Quintero, 21, is another of the activists who took to the streets in the capital – but insists that they’re not against tourism.

He said: “We are not against tourism, but every nook and cranny is being taken over. We want to change it to make it more sustainable. When I visit beaches they are filled with rubbish it makes me sad.”

He added: “We want to address the misconception that we don’t want tourists. We are here to change tourism. This island is beautiful and if we don’t protect it there will be nothing for the tourists to see.”

The activists are asking for limits to be put on visitor numbers, the amount of people moving to the country and new hotel developments – as well as asking for more taxes so it can be reinvested into the communities affected.

Some six and a half million tourists visited Tenerife last year while a staggering 17million are expected to visit the Canaries, which also include islands such as Lanzarote and Gran Canaria, in 2024.

The activists are asking for limits to be put on visitor numbers as well as the amount of people being allowed to move to the country.

They also want limits on the number of new hotels as well as higher tourist taxes which can be reinvested among local communities. 

Lydia Morales, a teacher from the south of the island, said: “I’m here to protest and to defend the island.

“We just want a change of model – we don’t want this model based on mass tourism. We want a model that takes care of the residents of the island. We just need limits.”