Everyone's welcome, say expats amid Canaries protests

EACH year, tens of thousands of Mancunians jet out to the Canary Islands for sun, sea and sand.

- CARMELO GARCIA AND THOMAS GEORGE

All year round, the beaches of Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura throng with holidaymakers lapping up the warm weather and natural beauty. But while the Canaries have long been a favoured destination for Brits, not everyone is happy.

In recent weeks, thousands of locals have taken to the streets to protest against the archipelago's tourism model, claiming they are being priced out of life there due to 'unsustainable' levels of tourism driving up living costs and harming the environment.

Locals say the protests are aimed at halting the rise in short-term holiday rentals and hotel developments, which are driving up housing costs.

Signs reading: 'We don't want to see our island die, 'Stop Hotels' and 'Canaries not for sale' were visible during a series of protests last weekend.

The demonstrations have also prompted concerns among those planning a trip to the Canaries this summer. But while graffiti calling on holidaymakers to 'go home' has cropped up in places, those who call the archipelago home insist that the protests are not anti-tourist, but in opposition to the current tourism model on the islands.

Some expats say they have been left 'frustrated' at how they believe the protests are being perceived in the UK, fearing that some holidaymakers may be put off visiting the Canary Islands.

John Parkes owns The Vault Bar in the resort of Los John Cristianos, Tenerife, where the vast majority of his customers are tourists.

Mr Parkes, 43, was born near Oldham but has called the island home since the age of seven.

He said locals were disgruntled about a lack of affordable housing, with the price of a one-bedroom apartment having doubled in recent years. John attributed the problem to a lack of new housing and an explosion in the number of Airbnbs on Tenerife as property investors and people with second homes look to capitalise on a boom in visitor numbers.