Furious locals warn Brits to ‘go home’ as holiday hotspot is ‘facing collapse’

Imagine sauntering down the seafront and hearing, 'tourists, go home' while you're weighing up where you can get a good jug of sangria for a steal.

It's hardly a warm welcome to the start of your holiday, is it?

But it's becoming an all too familiar reality for a lot of Brits descending on a popular travel destination, which could be 'facing collapse' due to the volume of visitors it receives.

Locals are rallying together in the hopes of deterring tourists who they blame for environmental damage, overcrowding, lengthy traffic jams on a regular basis and sewage spills.

Residents have pinned the blame on holidaymakers for ruining beaches and idyllic outdoor areas, as they are fuelling the demand for developers who are constantly erecting new hotel complexes and apartment blocks.

They have adopted the slogan 'tourists, go home' for the campaign against globetrotters and have threatened to charge people an 'eco-tax' to make up for the 'irreparable' damage to the environment.

Although you would reckon that millions of tourists heading to the Canary Islands each year was a good thing, those who live there aren't on the same page.

Tenerife is the main hub of hostility, with the warning for holidaymakers to do one even being graffitied at one of the island's most pretty and popular beaches, La Tejita.

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The anti-tourism movement, made up of social and environmental groups, has taken to the streets of the Spanish island to protest the 'irreparable damage' that the relentless influx of visitors is causing - which is especially prominent in hotspots such as Santa Cruz de Tenerife and San Cristóbal de La Laguna.

Demonstrators were seen holding signs saying, 'the Canaries are no longer a paradise' and 'the Canaries are not for sale', while one protestor claimed that the island community was teetering on 'complete collapse'.

A spokesperson for the activists said that Tenerife's 'natural spaces' were being wrecked by 'mass tourism', while complaining that the skyline is constantly blighted by building sites as more accommodation is being sprung up.

The high demand for holiday rentals is also apparently increasing the prices of properties in the area.

Campaign groups want officials to introduce a limit on the number of tourists who are allowed to visit the Canary Islands, as well as bringing in an 'eco-tax' for holidaymakers to recoup money for the damage.

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They also want restrictions to be phased in surrounding ex-pats, saying that the number of people moving to the island on a full-time basis, and those wanting to buy a second home, should be capped.

The Canary Islands' Ministry of Tourism and Employment aired their grievances about the damage to the environment and their plans for how to tackle it at COP28 in Dubai at the end of last year.

Jéssica de León explained the proposals to decrease its carbon footprint, while discussing the introduction of a free digital tool, which will allow tourism firms to measure and reduce their emissions.

Juan Torres, the head of Gran Canarias Architects' College, has emphasised that small changes will not be enough.

He said: "On an urban planning and architectural level, we could not remain with mere cosmetic operations. We had to take the right steps so that we all join in the improvement plans, which were really needed in the Canary Islands."

The Canary Islands includes Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro.

The islands are hugely popular thanks to their white sandy beaches, sightseeing opportunities and all-year-round warm temperatures.