UK tourists in Tenerife warned to 'stay off streets' on one date in October

Spain is set to be overrun by demonstrators and protesters again - as UK holidaymakers are warned. The Canary Islands in the European Union holiday destination are warning over a huge protest being set to sweep areas next month.

On October 20, 2024 protesters will descend on the Playa de Las Americas area dominated by tourists and hotels. “We are flooding the streets once again,” the release explains, going on to add: “this time, in the tourist south of Tenerife.

"Five months have passed since the historic demonstrations of April 20, and political parties and institutions, far from addressing social demands or showing any sign of understanding the grave problem we face, continue to advocate for a predatory tourism model.”

READ MORE Martin Lewis urges people who have a mortgage to complete 'must do' task

In 2023, around 13.9 million people flocked to the islands, which have a population of just 2.2million combined. According to figures from Spain's National Statistics Institute, 33.8 per cent of Canarians are close to poverty. This is the highest proportion for any region in Spain apart from Andalucia.

Nestor Marrero, secretary of a Tenerife ecology group called ATAN added: "The number of tourists should be reduced. We should aim for higher-quality visitors, not people in all-included resorts who don't leave the hotel or interact with locals and our culture in any way."

Jessica de Leon, the region's tourism chief, has sought to reassure visitors that tourists are still welcome on the islands. Jessica said that while she understands their position, she thinks they've failed to see the bigger picture and that it's "unfair to blame tourism". A similar sentiment was echoed by the Canary Islands President Fernando Clavijo, who said the activists "smack of tourist-phobia".

"People who come here to visit and spend their money must not be criticised or insulted. We are playing with our main source of income," Clavijo said to the Telegraph.