'I left Manchester to live in the Canary Islands - this is what it's really like'

Each year, tens of thousands of Mancunians jet out to the Canary Islands for sun, sea and sand.

All year round, the beaches of Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura throng with holidaymakers lapping up the warm weather and natural beauty. But while the Canaries have long been a favoured destination for Brits, not everyone is happy.

In recent weeks, thousands of locals have taken to the streets to protest against the archipelago's tourism model, claiming they are being priced out of life there due to 'unsustainable' levels of tourism driving up living costs and harming the environment.

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Locals say the protests are aimed at halting the rise in short-term holiday rentals and hotel developments, which are driving up housing costs. Signs reading: 'We don't want to see our island die', 'Stop Hotels' and 'Canaries not for sale' were visible during a series of protests last weekend.

The demonstrations have also prompted concerns among those planning a trip to the Canaries this summer. But while graffiti calling on holidaymakers to 'go home' has cropped up in places, those who call the archipelago home insist that the protests are not anti-tourist, but in opposition to the current tourism model on the islands.

Some expats say they have been left 'frustrated' at how they believe the protests are being perceived in the UK, fearing that some holidaymakers may be put off visiting the Canary Islands.

'We have staff who can't find anywhere to live'

John Parkes owns The Vault Bar in the resort of Los Cristianos, Tenerife, where the vast majority of his customers are tourists. Mr Parkes, 43, was born near Oldham, but has called the island home since the age of seven.

He said locals were disgruntled about a lack of affordable housing, with the price of a one-bedroom apartment having doubled in recent years. Mr Parkes attributed the problem to a lack of new housing and an explosion in the number of Airbnbs on Tenerife as property investors and people with second homes look to capitalise on a boom in visitor numbers since the pandemic.

"All the long-term accommodation got taken off the market and replaced with tourist apartments," he explained.

"No one can afford to live where they work anymore so everyone gets pushed out of town. The wages have not risen in accordance with that.

"The point of the protests is to revise how the island is set up for the tourist markets and look at why every single house can be rented to tourists at expense of living accommodation."

Mr Parkes said the lack of affordable accommodation, in combination with low pay, had made it increasingly difficult for businesses such as his to recruit staff.

"If they don't drive then they can't go home if they finish late at night," he said. "We have other staff who come over from mainland Spain and they just can't get anywhere to live so they give up and go back."

Mr Parkes said he sympathised with protesters' demands for 'reform in the tourist model' and called for more housing to be built, as well as restrictions to be introduced to control the number of properties being used as Airbnbs.

However, he believes the message behind the protests has been "misconstrued" and is concerned it may put off tourists.

"I'm not a 'tourists go home' merchant but some of the concerns are justified," he said. "That doesn't mean that people here are holding up banners at the airport telling them to go home.

"As far as I'm concerned, everyone is welcome here. It's not an anti-British thing. The message is about the tourist model, not a specific set of people.

"There's no cause for alarm for anybody coming out here. I work with tourists every day and haven't heard of any trouble. I'm frustrated at how they are being perceived.

"This kind of thing happens everywhere where there is tourism. Even in the Lake District and Cornwall, you've got similar issues with how the accommodation has been changed from places to live to holiday homes.

"You've got to have affordable housing so there can be a harmony between residents and tourists and so businesses can have places for their staff to live."

Home to 2.2 million people, the seven main Canary Islands welcomed nearly 14 million international tourists in 2023 - a 13 per cent increase from the previous year.

The islands have long been reliant on the tourism industry, with research from the Spanish financial services company, CaixaBank, showing that holidaymakers contributing more than 25pc of the Canary Islands' GDP last year - £17.4 billion.

However, despite the influx in its visitors, poverty is a major issue in the Canaries. A total of 33.8pc of people on the archipelago are at risk of poverty or social exclusion, the highest proportion for any region except Andalusia, according to figures from Spain's National Statistics Institute.

In Tenerife, the soaring cost of housing has forced some residents to live in camper vans on the fringes of towns they once called home.

Protests took place across Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and La Palma on Saturday as protesters demanded changes to the Canary Islands' tourism industry.

'I've moved out here from Sale and have never had any hostility'

Suzanne Goodwin, 53, moved to Lanzarote last year after having visited the island for the last 25 years. Ms Goodwin, from Sale, said locals were upset about a lack of investment in infrastructure.

Lanzarote experiences frequent problems with its water system and the more rural parts of Lanzarote have their supply cut off during peak tourism season.

"People are not complaining about tourists," said Ms Goodwin. "They are complaining about all the hotels and no infrastructure being built.

"It's their main source of income but if we carry on growing and growing, 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 are not thinking about underlying issues of what it can cause."

However, she too was concerned about how the protesters' message was being perceived back in the UK.

"I'm not sure they are going about it the right way," said Ms Goodwin. "The way it's coming across in the news is that it's against the tourists.

"They are 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 an issue. I've never had any hostility. Without the tourists, it wouldn't survive."

'Greedy owners have hiked their prices'

Jimmy Largey, from Blackley, has owned a holiday let on Tenerife for the last 20 years and says he supports the protesters. He said the lack of housing was also impacting British expats, who were also 'finding it impossible to find somewhere affordable' on the island.

"The problem is not the English holidaymakers or any other for that matter," he explained. "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 lets for one purpose - more money."

Mr Largey said he regularly has the same families staying at his holiday let 'year after year', but accused other owners of having hiked their prices in recent years.

"I've not jumped on the gravy train," he said. "I was one of the originals.

"I agree with the protest for more housing and less hotels. The greedy owners wanted the workers in their apartments over lockdown, knowing they couldn’t get the holidaymakers then. Now it’s thank you, go find somewhere else to live.

"It’s a shortage of workers here as it is. Now bars, restaurants and hotels are crying out for staff but the staff can’t find affordable accommodation so they are leaving the island.

'There are people living in tents, vans, and cars on the street. Is that fair?'

Chris Elkington has lived in Tenerife since 1991 after relocating from Stockport. He now edits Canarian Weekly, an English-language newspaper based on the islands.

In recent weeks, Mr Elkington said he had received 'a high number of emails and messages asking if it is safe to come to Tenerife' from concerned Brits. In an open letter on the publication's Facebook page, he accused the UK media of 'sensationalising' its coverage of the protests.

He wrote: "Yes, today there are demonstrations about tourism and the fact that it is causing problems for locals… BUT, no one has said we don’t want British tourists – do you think we are that short-sighted and frankly, stupid?

"What the people in the Canary Islands, as it’s not just Tenerife, it’s all of the islands, want, is for it to be fairer.

"They want somewhere to live. They’re happy to pay but the government is allowing too many holiday homes so they’re forced out. There are people living in tents, vans, and cars on the street. Is that fair?

"They want a stop to all the new hotels being built because it's ruining the island, and where will the workers for these new hotels live? Is that fair?

"The Canary Islands have some of the highest tourism figures, but the 3rd lowest average wage in Spain. Is that fair?

"Please understand, this is not about you, ie British, or any other nationality of tourist, but about the current tourism model… There is a huge difference."

'We cannot be a theme park'

Anthony Caitucoli who runs the American Indian Cafe in Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote, says tourism is the economic engine of the Canary Islands but agrees the islands do face some challenges.

“There’s a shortage of homes for workers and those available are expensive to rent," he said. “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 banning tourists or making it harder for them to visit the Canary Islands. We need more investment from the government in infrastructure and housing and perhaps setting a daily limit of visitors at our main tourist attractions and natural parks.”

Fernando Clavijo, president of the Canary Islands, has previously hit out at the protesters, saying their argument "smacks of tourist-phobia", and has asked people not to cancel their holidays. There have also been discussions about introducing a €3-per-night charge for tourists, an idea which Mr Clavijo has not entirely ruled out, saying that he is "willing to discuss" its terms.

The Canary Tourist Board has also asked holidaymakers to still come to the islands. "In terms of tourists, the situation they see on the eight islands is absolutely normal,” they said.

"We are aware that there has been some isolated and specific events, but this has not altered at any time the enjoyment of the holidays of those who visit us."

Meanwhile, Rosa Davila, the first female president of Tenerife, has suggested imposing visitor limits, warning that "there have to be limits to prevent tourism from overflowing."

Ms Davila has suggested a new tourism model that would require visitors to pay a fee to access natural spaces and also advocates for measures to "modulate" the number of tourists arriving in Tenerife and to "study the impact of demographic growth.

Following the mass protests, she stated: "We must analyse the exceptionalities that can be applied in a territory as fragile and limited as ours. What is clear is that Tenerife cannot be a theme park. Those who visit us have to value and respect our natural and cultural wealth, our resources, and they have to be clear about the rules for their preservation."