Tenerife is said to be “still buzzing” in an apparent blow to anti-tourism activists. Thousands of families will be flocking to the holiday hotspot for the Easter holidays despite a campaign against them.
Resorts are already “packed” with sun-seeking tourists enjoying “knock down” prices on the island, according to The Sun. Bar owner Tara Scarlata told the publication her British-themed watering hole in Adeje is packed out day and night.
She said the island is “still buzzing”, adding: “We’re busier than we’ve ever been… It’s busy and summer season hasn’t started yet. We just had our best week ever, celebrating St Patrick’s Day and the Cheltenham Races.”
Tara, 40, added nothing was putting British or Irish tourists off going to Tenerife, despite warnings daubed on walls such as “Tourists Go Home”.
A wave of protests and vandalism have struck the island in recent months. Concerns among locals include traffic congestion, the affordability of housing and environmental pressures as millions of tourists descend on the island each year.
In December, two popular beaches in Los Cristianos saw more than 230 sunbeds sprayed with graffiti, reading “Canarias se defiende” (the Canary Islands defend themselves) and “Canarias no se vende” (the Canary Islands are not for sale).
Shocking video posted online this month shows vandals dousing rental vehicles with flammable liquid before setting them on fire in the Costa Adeje resort.
In January, disturbing graffiti reading “Kill a tourist” appeared on the wall of a house in Tenerife, worrying some locals that the protests were going too far.
Hundreds of protesters descended on Troya beach in Tenerife in October, waving placards and shouting slogans, including “More tourists, more misery”.
A small group of activists even went on hunger strike outside a church in La Laguan in April last year. It was called off after 20 days.
Tara said the last thing she or the island’s other bars, restaurants and hotels want is for tourists to go home.
She said there is nothing to feel anxious about and the island’s growth means the local government needs to invest more in roads and affordable housing.
Brian Harrison, 57, is a sound engineer from Bridgend who has lived in Tenerife for 30 years. He said more protests are planned, warning if local politicians don’t address the issues things will get worse.
He said: “The protests will continue and they will increase.”