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6 months ago
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THE anti-tourist protests telling Brits to go home could spread to another holiday hotspot.
Majorcan hotel bosses have warned that the island could be the next one to be swept by mass demonstrations.
Alamy
Rex
EPABlau Hotels have two luxury hotels in the east and south coast of Majorca.
The hotel’s CEO Joan Pla said he “wasn’t surprised” by the huge outcry over tourism after thousands took to the streets in Tenerife.
He admitted that the island was flooded with too many visitors at certain times of the year.
Mr Pla also claimed that houses built for locals were instead purchased by foreigners as holiday homes.
He told local newspaper Ultima Hora: “It’s clear that the irruption of Airbnb had a huge impact on the decline, but now we’re in another phase in which the homes that are built for residents are bought by foreigners to spend a few months in.
“All this makes us lose sight of where we are going.
“There is nothing sustainable about the number of people coming to the islands and the high consumption of resources we have.
“I am not surprised there are demonstrations like the ones in the Canary Islands, which could also happen here.”
Anti-tourist graffiti has now been popping up in Majorca, saying “Tourist Go Home”.
The locals have started echoing similar complaints protesters in the Canary Islands have been making.
The latest tourist-phobic writing was scrawled in English over a wall in a Majorcan neighbourhood which saw an influx of foreign buyers.
Mr Pla cited the rising cost of living and mass tourism as problems.
He said: “Everyone has the right to live in their own house.”
His claims come amid Benidorm hotel bosses admitting they are “very worried” by the anger growing amongst island residents.
Fede Fuster, head of local hotel association HOSBEC, concurred with Mr Pla’s opinion and branded holiday homes “a virus”.
In a speech in the Costa Blanca resort of Altea, he said: “We watched with concern how people in the Canary Islands protested a few days ago against the ‘negative’ effects of tourism.
“This is serious, it should worry us and occupy our minds. The delicate balance between tourists and residents that we have been able to maintain for decades has been broken.”
On April 20, huge fury-filled protests were staged across the Canary Islands in a bid to crackdown on cheap tourism and particularly boozy Brits.
The marches were organised under the slogan “The Canary Islands have a limit.”
The same words appeared painted on the road leading to the must-see Teide volcano on Wednesday.
In Tenerife, where 15,000 took to the streets, a fresh protest is planned for today in the town of La Laguna.
And a hunger strike is still ongoing with five activists refusing to eat for 20 days straight now.
One of the six protesters had to quit the extreme action at the weekend because of the medical advice.
Tenerife has been at the forefront of the protest with bitter messages, saying “Your tourism our misery” and “tourists not welcome”, plastered on the walls all over the island.
Locals have been calling on regional president Fernando Clavijo to answer their demands to crackdown on the number of tourists and housing issues, or resign.
In response, the government introduced a new eco tax which looks to regulate the number of foreign visitors by charging them a daily fee.
The island’s council confirmed the new tax system will come in effect from January 1, 2025 and will be applied to all the famous nature sites that are protected, including Teide volcano.
Why are locals in Tenerife turning up against Brits?
RESIDENTS of the largest Canary Island seem to be at war with UK holidaymakers as they blast visitors with anti-tourism graffiti and emerging local campaigns.
Locals have been fuming that they are “fed-up” with “low quality” Brit tourists who only come for the cheap beer, burgers and sunbathing.
Now, they are demanding a tourist tax, fewer flights to the island and a clampdown on foreigners buying houses.
Some protesters are claiming that their anger is directed at the government rather than tourists as they ask for change.
They claim that AirBnBs and other holiday rentals are driving up the cost of living and that they are sick of the noise, traffic and rubbish that accompany the avalanche of vacationers that visit every year.
Jaime Coello, president of the Telesforo Bravo Foundation, said: “The quality of the tourist product is being destroyed by the investors and the regional government.”
Waves of anti-tourist graffiti that has been sprayed across the island to tell Brits they are not welcome.
Bitter messages outside tourism hotspots read “your paradise, our misery” and “tourists go home”.
“Locals are forced to move out and YOU are responsible for that,” said a furious printed sign.
Another read: “Tourists go home!”
The brewing chaos coupled with hatred for visitors is now scaring Brit tourists to go on a vacation in Tenerife.
And Jorge Marichal, a hotel chain boss in Tenerife, revealed that Brits were ringing up out of fear they would not be safe on their holidays to the island.
He said: “One of the problems I am facing is that clients are beginning to call and ask what’s happening here and whether it’s safe.”
While the hotel owner said he understands the pain of local people, he added that being “anti-tourist” is not the way to go in.
English (US)