UK holidaymakers are reportedly “abandoning” their sun-soaked retreats in the Canary Islands, including Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Tenerife, due to an important European Union rule change.
Since Brexit, UK nationals can only spend 90 days at a time in Spain, which has led to disgruntled UK travellers in the Canaries considering returning home.
There have been discussions in Spain to scrap the 90-day limit for UK visitors, but “unfortunately, [the rule] is not something Spain has established by itself or can get rid of,” Spanish Tourism Secretary Fernando Valdés told the i newspaper.
“It is true that after Brexit some problems have emerged with people wanting to stay longer. It is in our interest to lobby and convince [the EU] we can try to work an exception with them. But the solution must come from them,” he said.
UK tourists could also be asked to provide evidence that they have “sufficient financial means” for the duration of their stay. Spain stated that’s €113.40 (£96.80) per person per day.
On top of that, thousands of Canary Island locals have taken to the streets to protest against tourism, declaring their region is “not for sale”.
These demonstrations are against the rise in short-term holiday lettings and hotel developments which are driving up local housing costs, according to Birmingham Live.
Signs reading ‘We don’t want to see our island die’, ‘Stop Hotels’ and ‘Canaries not for sale’ were visible during these large-scale protests.
One local from Tenerife said: “It’s not a message against the tourist, but against a tourism model that doesn’t benefit this land and needs to be changed.”
Another protester, Antonio Bullon, stated: “The authorities must immediately stop this corrupt and destructive model that depletes the resources and makes the economy more precarious. The Canary Islands have limits and people’s patience has limits too.”
The islands’ president declared that he felt “proud” that the region is a leading Spanish tourism spot, but conceded more controls are needed. The islands, home to two million residents, welcome a significantly larger number of holidaymakers each year.
