UK tourists ditching Canary Island holidays after EU rule change

UK holidaymakers appear to be 'abandoning' their sunny retreats in the Canary Islands, including Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Tenerife, due to a significant European Union rule change. Post-Brexit, UK nationals can only spend 90 days at a time in the Schengen area, which includes Spain.

The strict rule implementation has left disgruntled Brits in the Canaries considering returning home. Thousands of Canary Island locals took to the streets to protest last weekend to picket against tourism, declaring their region is 'not for sale'.

The demonstrations were hoped to halt the rise in short-term holiday rentals and hotel developments, which are driving up local housing costs, reports BristolLive. Signs reading: 'We don't want to see our island die', 'Stop Hotels' and 'Canaries not for sale' were visible during these large-scale protests.

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"It's not a message against the tourist, but against a tourism model that doesn't benefit this land and needs to be changed," one protester in Santa Cruz de Tenerife said.

Another demonstrator, Antonio Bullon, stated: "The authorities must immediately stop this corrupt and destructive model that depletes the resources and makes the economy more precarious. The Canary Islands have limits and people's patience has limits too."

The islands' president said he felt "proud" that the region is highly sought-after destination for Spanish tourism, but acknowledged the need for tighter controls. Despite having a population of two million, the islands play host to a far greater number of tourists annually.

Tenerife is one of the most popular destinations in Spain for tourists with more than 5.8million foreign and domestic visitors heading to the island in 2022. As of 2023, Tenerife's population stands at 954,300.