Britons flock to the Canary Islands in their masses year after year for sun, sea and sand.
However, the existing tourism model could change as President of the Canary Islands Government, Fernando Clavijo confirmed he will not rule out implementing a tourist tax which would make holidays more expensive.
Holidaying in the Canary Islands could get more expensive
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He said: “It is true that the ecotax is not included in the government program, but it is also true that we are willing to discuss it; the government will always engage in dialogue.”
He added that the government needs to review the tourism model and a conference has been arranged between the seven presidents of the Canary Islands, which will take place in just weeks on April 30.
Speaking about the existing tourism model, the President said: “It is a successful model that has generated a lot of employment and wealth, but it is also true that we have to continue improving it.
“We have to deepen the added value, the increase in turnover, profit, and wealth.
“Therefore, all this will be discussed openly without holding back and no taboo subjects.”
In recent weeks, tension has erupted between tourists and locals of the Canary Islands, with some residents believing that overtourism in the region has had a negative impact on their lives.
In Tenerife, a beloved holiday destination among Britons, tourists have been told to “go home”.
Holidaymakers who arrived in Tenerife over the Easter weekend were met with signs that read “Tourists go home” and “Too many guiris” (uncouth foreign tourists).
Some locals believe that holidaymakers are noisy, contribute to pollution, and drive the cost of rent up.
Disgruntled residents plan to take to the streets in a protest against overtourism. This will take place in a matter of days, on April 20. The protest is being organised under the slogan: “The Canary Islands have a limit”.
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Tourists in the Canary Islands have faced backlash in recent weeks
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Ivan Cerdeña Molina, who has helped to organise the protest as part of his role at local conservation group ATAN (Asociación Tinerfeña de Amigos de la Naturaleza), told MailOnline that “it is a crisis”.
“We have to change things urgently, people are living in their cars and even in caves, and locals can’t eat, drink, or live well.”
Despite tourist backlash from locals, some residents acknowledged that tourism is fundamental to the region.
Melissa Taylor, who works in the Giddy Goose English pub in Las Playas de las Americas, thinks that the war on tourists is unjust, telling the publication that “Brits come here and spend a lot of money”.
If implemented, the proposed tourist tax should help offset the negative effects of mass tourism on the region.
However, the Canary Islands President recently made a statement saying it is “irresponsible to attack our main source of employment and wealth”.
It appears that Britons are getting fed up with the hostility tourists are facing, however, with many deciding to boycott the holiday hotspot.
As Spain introduces a new rule for Britons on holiday, one disgruntled tourist fumed: “Anti-British? Holiday elsewhere!”.
