Holidaymakers in Spain have come under fire in recent weeks and months due to over-tourism and the negative effects it has had on locals.
The anti-tourist sentiment has caused Britons to fight back though, with some threatening to boycott the holiday destination altogether.
Just days ago, beachgoers in Tenerife were left stunned by protestors carrying anti-tourism signs and banging drums.
One protestor carried a sign that read: “Enjoying a day at your pool? That water could be going on food.”
Holidaymakers came face-to-face with disgruntled protestors
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Angry locals on Tenerife’s Troya Beach shouted slogans including, “More tourists, more misery” and, “The Canary Islands are not for sale”.
The anti-tourist rhetoric has caused some Britons to feel unwelcome in Spain, encouraging them to snub the country for future holidays.
One GB News reader said: “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.”
Another said: “It almost goes without saying that these people will be begging tourists to come back when their economy collapses.”
A third agreed: “Fine but don’t complain when the money from tourism dries up!”
“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,” said another holidaymaker.
One more said: “I’ll do them a favour and never return – awful place. 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.”
One GB News reader suggested an alternative holiday spot instead. They added: “Try Malta, it’s beautiful and friendly and cheaper.”
But some Britons empathised with Spanish locals, understanding why they might be at the end of their tether.
One said: “I can understand why they are angry. I go to the Canaries multiple times a year, hotels that were once owned by locals are being bought up by chains and turned all-inclusive. The money doesn’t stay on the island, and because you’re all-inclusive, you’re not eating out.
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Tenerife is exceptionally popular among British tourists looking to enjoy sun, sea and sand
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“I don’t stay at the chain hotels and I don’t go all-inclusive, so any money we spend, we try to make sure it’s staying locally.”
Another agreed: “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.”
A third offered an alternative: “I can understand them wanting a control on development. But protest in the correct place. It’s the government and planners you need to confront, not holidaymakers spending their hard-earned money.
