Plea to Brits from tourist hotspot at 'risk of collapse' with fears of mass holiday cancellation

An urgent plea has been issued to sun-loving Brits from those that run an idyllic archipelago loved by those jetting off from the United Kingdom.

There's no doubting the British obsession with a week or two in the sun. The seven, 10 or 14 day break is what makes the daily slog all worthwhile, with millions of us opting for sandy white beaches, cocktails on terraces, and reading a book by the swimming pool.

But one of the destinations loved the most by UK residents is worried.

And it's all because of a backlash by those who call it their permanent home.

It comes after locals told Brits and other tourists to, essentially, back off, claiming the locations were at 'risk of collapse'.

The Spanish islands have seen locals self-police the visitor hot spots because of so-called call 'tourist overcrowding'.

No, not the Balearics. We're on about the Canary Islands, which are closer to Africa than Spain itself.

And it's that location that makes them a firm favourite with Brits, given the consistently hot temperatures experienced on the group of islands.

Tenerife from the skies (Getty Stock Images)

But those who run the governance of the islands are worried that the backlash from residents across the likes of Tenerife Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura will be enough to put people off and look elsewhere.

Regional tourism chief, Jessica de León, told the Telegraph that she would be 'delighted to welcome' tourists to the islands.

She added: "It is still safe to visit the Canary islands.

"People who come here to visit and spend their money must not be criticised or insulted. We are playing with our main source of income."

One of the beaches on the southern tip of the island of Lanzarote is Playa Papagayo (Getty Stock Images)

But the political view is not universal, with one councillor Gabriel Gonzalez - from the hard-left Podemos party in Tenerife’s resort town of Adeje - saying: "We have the feeling that we are not living off tourism; it is tourism that is living off us."

Earlier this month, Canary Islands president Fernando Clavijo asked tourists to keep coming there on holiday.

"We are worried because tourism is our main source of income and I think that whoever comes here to enjoy, to spend a few days and to leave their money in the Canary Islands, shouldn’t be rebuked or face insults," he said.

Néstor Marrero, secretary of a Tenerife ecology group called ATAN, has said that the number of tourists allowed on the Canaries 'should be reduced'.

Aerial view of Playa Blanca and Montana Roja, Lanzarote (Getty Stock Images)

Instead of a focus on all-inclusive holidays, Marrero said the aim should be for 'higher-quality visitors' who will actually leave their hotels. Savage.

Residents across Lanzarote took to the streets on 20 April in a protest against tourism, chanting 'Lanzarote has a limit'.

Similar movements have sprung up across Fuerteventura, Tenerife, La Palma, and Gran Canaria.

Whatever your stance, it's clear that the issue isn't going away any time soon.

Topics: Holiday, Money, Travel, UK News, World News, Environment, Business

Tom Earnshaw

Tom joined LADbible in 2024, specialising in SEO and trending content. He moved to the company from Reach plc where he enjoyed spells as a content editor and senior reporter for one of the country's most-read local news brands, LancsLive. When he's not in work, Tom spends his adult life as a suffering Manchester United supporter after a childhood filled with trebles and Premier League titles. You can't have it all forever, I suppose.

@TREarnshaw