Plea to British tourists amid fears of holiday cancellations to Tenerife and Lanzarote

Canary Islands tourism officials have urged Britons not to cancel their holidays as anti-tourist protesters continue to rally against the industry. Regional tourism manager Jessica de Leon now insists tourists are still welcome on the islands.

Thousands of people took part in protests in the Canary Islands on Saturday to call for an urgent rethink of the Spanish archipelago’s tourism industry. But Jessica told the Telegraph: “It is still safe to visit the Canary Islands and we are delighted to welcome you.”

She added that she understood the frustration, but that it was “unfair to blame tourism.” Fernando Clavijo, the president of the Canary Islands, echoed Leon in saying that some activists “smell tourist phobia.”

READ: Council ‘won’t pay’ for evicted tenant and assistance dog to live in hotel | Bucknall’s Trevor Simpson was sent off cleanly

READ: Once ‘outstanding’ North Staffordshire school told it needs to improve | Ofsted inspectors find quality of education at Bursley Academy not up to standard

“People who come here to visit and spend their money should not be criticized or insulted. We are playing with our main source of income,” Clavijo said. Gabriel Gonzalez, a city councilor for the far-left Podemos party in the Tenerife resort of Adeje, replied: “We have the feeling that we don’t make a living from tourism, tourism makes a living from us.”

Nestor Marrero, secretary of a Tenerife environmental group called ATAN, added: “Tourist numbers should be reduced. We should be aiming for higher quality visitors, not people at all-inclusive resorts who don’t leave the hotel or interact with the locals and our culture in any way. »

Last year, 13.9 million people visited the islands, which have a population of 2.2 million. Figures from Spain’s National Statistics Institute show that 33.8 percent of Canary Islands residents are at risk of poverty or social exclusion, the highest proportion of any region except Andalusia.

“All actions taken by this government are based on a review of this model,” Clavijo told reporters this week. “The Canary Islands tourism model has been a success, but obviously, as with anything, there are things that could be perfected.”

Sign up to our main daily newsletter here and get all the latest news straight to your inbox for FREE.