by Expats who have moved from the UK to the Canary Islands have revealed what it’s really like to live on the Spanish mainland. Thousands of locals are protesting in the Canary Islands over what they say is over-tourism.
They claimed they are being priced out of life because of ‘unsustainable’ levels of tourism driving up the cost of living and harming the environment. Protests are said to be aimed at stopping the rise in short-term holiday rentals and hotel developments.
Signs saying “We don’t want our island to die”, “Stad Hotels” and “Canaries not for sale” were seen during protests. The demonstrations have sparked concern among UK tourists considering flying out to the Spanish islands.
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Some expats say they have been left ‘frustrated’ by how they think the protests are being seen in the UK. They fear some visitors may be put off visiting the Canary Islands, reports the Manchester Evening News.
John Parkes owns The Vault Bar in the resort of Los Cristianos, Tenerife – where most of his customers are tourists. Mr Parkes, 43, was born near Oldham but moved abroad when he was seven.
He said locals were frustrated by a lack of affordable housing, and the price of a one-bedroom apartment had doubled in recent years. Mr Parkes said the issue was due to a lack of new housing and a rise in the number of Airbnbs on Tenerife.
He said: “All the long-term accommodation has been taken off the market and replaced with tourist flats.
“There has not been an increase in wages accordingly. The point of the protests is to review how the island is set up for the tourist markets and to see why every single house can be rented out for tourists at the cost of living accommodation.”
Mr Parkes said the lack of affordable accommodation, coupled with low wages, made it difficult for businesses to hire staff. He said: “If they don’t drive they can’t get home if they finish late at night.
“We have other staff who come over from mainland Spain and they can’t find anywhere to live so they get up and go back.” Mr Parkes said he was sympathetic to the demands for a ‘reform of the tourism model’ and called for more housing to be built.
He also sympathized with the restrictions in place to control the number of properties being used as Airbnbs. But he said the message behind the protests was ‘misrepresented’.
He said: “I’m not a ‘go home’ tourist but some of the concerns are justified,” he said. “That doesn’t mean people are here holding up banners at the airport telling them to go home.
“As far as I’m concerned, everyone is welcome here. It’s not anti-British. The message is about the tourism model, not a specific set of people.
“There is no cause for concern for anyone who comes out here. I work with tourists every day and I have not heard of any trouble. I am frustrated with how they are perceived.
“This sort of thing happens everywhere there is tourism. Even in the Lake District and Cornwall, there are issues like how accommodation has been converted from residential to holiday homes.
“You have to have affordable housing so that there can be a balance between residents and tourists and so that businesses can have places to live for their staff.”
Suzanne Goodwin, 53, moved to Lanzarote last year after visiting the island for the past 25 years. Ms Goodwin, from Sale, said local people were upset about the lack of investment in infrastructure.
Lanzarote often has problems with its water system, and most rural parts are cut off during the peak tourist season. She said: “People are not complaining about tourists.
“They are complaining about all the hotels and no infrastructure being built. That is their main source of income but if we continue to grow and grow, what are we going to do about water and electricity supply?
“People want to come here because you’re more or less guaranteed the weather, but they’re not thinking about the underlying issues of what can cause it.” She said she was also worried about how the protests were coming across to Brits in the UK, adding: “I’m not sure they’re going about it the right way.
“The way it’s coming across in the news is that it’s against the tourists. They’re not against the people, it’s aimed at the government. Tourists are welcome here.
“Everyone is friendly. When we go out, we always go to the Spanish places and we’ve never had a problem. I’ve never had any hostility. Without the tourists, it wouldn’t last.”
Jimmy Largey, oh Blackley, has had a holiday rental in Tenerife for the past 20 years and says he supports the protesters. The lack of housing has had an impact on British expats, who ‘find it impossible to find somewhere affordable’ on the island, he said.
Mr Largey said: “The the problem is not the English holiday or any other for that matter. The problem is the greedy apartment and villa owners.
“The owners are giving notice to the workers and turning their apartments and villas into holiday lettings for one purpose – more money.” Mr Largey said the same families tend to stay on their holiday ‘year after year’.
But he accused other owners of increasing their prices in recent years. He said: “I didn’t jump on the gravy train.
“I was one of the original ones. I agree with the protest for more housing and less hotels. The greedy owners wanted the workers in their flat above the lock-up, knowing they couldn’t get the holidays then. Now thank you, go find somewhere else to live.
“There is a shortage of workers here as it is. Now bars, restaurants and hotels are crying out for staff but the staff cannot find affordable accommodation so they are leaving the island.”
Chris Elkington has lived in Tenerife since 1991 after moving from Stockport. He edits Canarian Weekly, an English-language newspaper based on the islands.
In recent weeks, he has received ‘a high number of emails and messages asking if it is safe to come to Tenerife’ from worried Brits. In an open letter on the publication’s Facebook page, he accused the UK media of ‘spoiling’ their coverage of the protests.
He wrote: “Yes, today there are demonstrations about tourism and the fact that it is causing problems for local people… BUT, no one has said that we don’t want tourists from Britain – do you think we are so short- sighted and honest, stupid. ?
“The thing is that the people in the Canary Islands, because it’s not just Tenerife, but all the islands, want it to be fairer. They want to have a place to live.
“They are willing to pay but the government is allowing too many holiday homes so they are being forced out. People are living in tents, vans and cars on the street. Is that fair?
“They want to stop all the new hotels being built because the island is being destroyed, and where will the workers of these new hotels live? Is that fair? Some of the highest tourism figures in the Canary Islands, but the 3rd lowest average wage in Spain.
“Please understand that this is not about you, ie the British, or any other tourist nationality, but because of the current tourism model … There is a big difference.”
Anthony Caitucoli, who runs the American Indian Cafe in Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote, said: “There is a shortage of houses for workers and those available are expensive to rent.
“There are also issues such as sewage from hotels and apartments being pumped into the sea. These issues need a solution but that solution is not preventing tourists or making it more difficult for them to visit the Canary Islands.
“We need more investment from the government in infrastructure and housing and perhaps setting a daily visitor limit at our main tourist centers and natural parks.”
Fernando Clavijo, the president of the Canary Islands, hit out at the protesters earlier and said their argument ‘smacks of tourist-phobia’. He asked people not to cancel their holidays.
There was also discussion about introducing a €3 per night fee for tourists, an idea that Mr Clavijo did not rule out. The Canary Islands Tourism Board has also asked holidaymakers to come to the islands.
He said: “In terms of tourists, the situation they see on the eight islands is normal. We know that there have been some isolated and specific events, but this in no way changed the enjoyment of those people’s holidays . visit us.”
Rosa Davila, Tenerife’s first female president, proposed imposing visitor limits, warning that ‘there must be limits to prevent tourism from overflowing’.
Ms Davila proposed a new tourism model that would require visitors to pay a fee to gain access to natural spaces. After the mass protests, she said: “We need to analyze the exceptions that can be applied in a territory as fragile and limited as ours.
“It is clear that Tenerife cannot be a theme park. The people who visit us must value and respect our natural and cultural wealth, our resources, and they must be clear about the rules regarding their conservation.”
